What has happened to play?

Current educational mandates are creating alarming changes in early childhood settings. More and more direct teaching of academic skills is being required at younger and younger ages. Some districts are now expecting four-year-olds to be reading before they enter Kindergarten. Increased testing is demanded to gauge mastery of required skills and teachers are blamed if their young students fail to achieve these ?benchmarks?. In this thought-provoking, research-based article, Diane Levin urges all educators who understand the vital role of play in the lives of young children to take action toward restoring play as a central part of childhood.