【TED】How play helps a kid's brain grow？

Fifteen years ago, I walked into a classroom as a first-year preschool teacher. Ambitious and eager to impress, I created this Excel document to track the things I thought mattered most for my students: letters, numbers, shapes and colors. Looking back, though, with what I know now, I wish I wouldn't have bothered with Excel or rote memorization. I wish instead I had leveraged the power of brain-building interactive play.

十五年前， 我走进教室， 成为了一名幼儿园小班教师。 我斗志昂扬， 很想做出一些成绩， 于是做了一个表格， 记录那些我认为对我的学生 最重要的一些事： 字母、数字、形状、颜色。 虽然就我如今所知 回首往昔， 我多希望当时没有纠缠于 做表格和死记硬背。 我多希望当时充分利用了 健脑互动游戏。

For years, we’ve known that play-based learning is far superior to rote memorization. Harvard's Center on the Developing Child tells us, as well as countless other institutions, that play, and especially the back and forth interactions, the serve and return, the alternating comments, questions, gestures between children and adults when they play together, that's what helps build neural connections in the child's brain. And in particular, they build the brain's prefrontal cortex. That's the executive control center of the brain. The part that manages emotions, solves problems, makes plans -- all things that children have to do when they play.

长久以来，我们都知道 寓教于乐比死记硬背 效果要好很多。 哈佛儿童发展研究中心 和许多机构表明， 游戏，尤其是有来有往的互动， 你来我往， 孩子和成人一起玩耍时 轮流产生的想法、问题和动作， 有助于在儿童的大脑中 建立神经联结。 尤其有助于 前额叶皮质的发育。 前额叶皮质是大脑的 控制决策中心。 控制情绪、解决问题、 制定计划—— 都是儿童在玩耍时 需要完成的任务。

So when we think of it that way, play is actually hard work. If learning is like a workout for the brain, then play-based learning is the heavy lifting. And just as heavy lifting builds muscle, play-based learning builds the brain's architecture.

这么一想，玩耍还挺难的。 如果学习可以看作 大脑的健身， 那寓教于乐就类似于举重。 如同举重可以增肌， 寓教于乐可以搭建起大脑的结构。

So then where do us as grown-ups come in? It's those interactions when a child says something and a parent or teacher says something back, those interactions help the child to persist, to stick with their plan, to keep rebuilding the block tower each time it falls. So it's the play paired with the adult interactions. It's like superfood for the brain.

那我们作为成年人 该扮演什么角色呢？ 我们该加入这些互动， 孩子说了什么， 家长或老师作出回应， 这些互动能让孩子 坚持自己的计划， 就算积木小楼塌了也能 不屈不挠，重新搭建。 玩乐加上成人的互动， 就像是对大脑的超级食物。

The research community in supportive play is so resounding, I would expect to see children in nearly every household, every preschool and kindergarten classroom playing for most of their waking hours. But that's far from reality. We don't see widespread uptake of play among parents or teachers, and sometimes we even see resistance.

针对支持性游戏的研究 卓有成效， 我觉得以后每家每户、 每间学前班和幼儿园 教室里的孩子 都能在醒着的大部分时间里 一直玩耍。 但是这与现实相去甚远。 我们没有看到家长或教师 广泛采取玩乐教育， 有的时候甚至会有些抗拒。

So what's going on? What's driving us as parents and teachers to ignore the overwhelming research when it comes to play?

怎么回事？ 为什么我们作为家长和教师， 一牵涉到玩耍， 就会选择无视丰富的研究成果？

After years of teaching preschool, coaching teachers, coaching parents and analyzing my own parenting, I've realized our best intentions are getting in the way. We live in a comparison culture, and we worry that our child won't be good enough. Won't be good enough for the soccer team, won't be ready for kindergarten, won't be as smart as their classmates. And we worry that if our child doesn't measure up, it will be our fault. Our hyperfocus on our children and our students’s success is backfiring. And it's exacerbated by two forces I see impacting the large majority of parents and teachers. First, the need for immediate gratification and quick results. And second, our own discomfort with play, either because we don't have the time or energy, or because we just don't know how to play anymore.

多年以来，我从事学前教育、 指导教师、指导家长、 分析我自己做家长的方式， 我发现，我们不甘人后的心理 就是罪魁祸首。 我们的文化就是凡事都要比较， 我们会担心自己的孩子不够优秀。 不够优秀加入足球队， 没准备好上幼儿园， 没有同学那么聪明。 我们担心如果孩子落后于人， 那就是我们自己的错。 我们对孩子和学生成功的过度关注 产生了事与愿违的效果。 大多数家长和老师都会受到 两股力量的影响， 从而使事态更加恶化。 第一，对即时满足 和立竿见影的渴望。 第二，我们自身对玩乐的不适， 有可能是因为我们没有 足够的时间或者精力， 也有可能是因为 我们已经不知道该怎么玩了。

On the topic of immediate gratification, I think back to that Excel document I created as a first-year teacher. That document was the manifestation of my anxiety, because often when we feel anxious or out of control, we revert back to what we can control. For parents and teachers, we often revert to fact-based teaching because we see pretty immediate results that affirm our efforts. Whereas we can't see the connections in the child's brain that fire when they finally get that wobbly block tower to stay standing. The immediate result of something like our child learning a new letter, it gives us this dopamine rush that then sets off a flywheel effect because as we see and feel the results of our work more and more, we subconsciously begin to prioritize that type of teaching.

说到即时满足， 我想起了当小班老师时 做的那张表格。 那份文件将我的焦虑暴露无遗， 因为每当我们感到焦虑 或者失去控制的时候， 都会转向我们能控制的东西。 对于家长和老师来说， 我们总是会转而采取 基于事实的教育方法， 因为我们能看到 证明我们付出的即时成果。 但是我们看不见 孩子脑中的联结， 在让摇摇欲坠的积木小楼 稳稳站住时点亮的那些联结。 那些即时产生的成果， 比如孩子学会了一个新的字母， 会让我们多巴胺飙升， 然后产生飞轮效应， 因为我们越来越能看见、 感受到我们努力的成果， 于是就会不自觉地 优先选择这种教育方式。

Recently, my staff was coaching a group of school principals on the importance of play. And one of the principals said that his teachers just weren't on board. They said their students are too far behind to play. And those well-intentioned teachers, they were equating academic learning that their students needed with methods that would show quick, concrete results. They felt really proud and accomplished when they could talk to the students' parents and say how many letters and numbers they learned that month.

最近，我的同事在 培训一群校长， 告诉他们玩乐的重要性。 一个校长说， 他的老师们干不了。 老师们说他们的学生 进度太落后了，不能玩。 这些本意是好的老师， 他们将学生需要的学业教育 等同于那些立竿见影的方法。 他们为能够告诉学生家长， 他们的孩子那个月 学了多少个字母和数字， 感到十分自豪、有成就感。

Because we as parents and teachers, we share this universal desire for our kids to do well. And we will pour our energy and resources into making that happen. And that's showing up in our spending habits. Marketers are preying on it as they advertise the latest and greatest toys, flashcards, iPad apps for brain development, even kits that claim to teach your baby to read. Seriously, babies. And because we worry that our kids won't measure up, we fall prey to that. The global market for educational toys surpassed 68 billion dollars in 2021 and is projected to reach 132 billion by 2028.

我们作为家长和老师， 都怀有让我们的孩子更好的愿望。 于是，我们会倾尽精力和资源 实现这个目标。 这在我们的消费习惯中也可见一斑。 营销人员虎视眈眈， 借此宣传最新最棒的玩具、 识字卡、iPad 益智应用， 甚至是号称能教你的宝宝 如何阅读的工具包。 说真的，宝宝哎。 由于我们担心孩子落后于人， 所以我们心甘情愿任人宰割。 教育类玩具的全球市场 于 2021 年突破了 680 亿美元， 预计在 2028 年以前 可达 1320 亿。

But those smart toys, they're a far cry from the interactive, playful learning that I was talking about earlier. That type of learning, the real gold standard of early education, it's not immediate. It takes time and it doesn't lend itself to a checklist or an Excel document.

但是这些智力玩具， 和我之前提到的互动、 充满玩乐的学习方式相去甚远。 这种形式的学习过程是 早期教育真正的黄金法则， 它不是立等可取的。 它需要时间， 而且不会依赖于某个清单或表格。

The second force I see negatively impacting play-based learning is that we, as grown ups, parents and teachers, just don't always like hearing that play-based learning might require some of us. Because that means it will take time, energy and skills that we don't think we have. But not only is it worth our time, it can be done in really small doses.

第二股会对寓教于乐 产生负面影响的力量是 我们作为成年人， 作为家长和老师， 就是不想听到寓教于乐 需要我们的付出这样的说法。 因为这意味着我们得付出 我们自认为没有的 时间、精力和能力。 但是，这不仅值得我们付出时间， 而且并不需要付出很长时间。

So take this simple example of bath time. If I'm a busy mom who has a few extra dollars to spend, I might pop my kiddo into the tub, remember that buying bath toys has been on my never-ending mental to-do list for weeks, so I whip out my phone and I use that five minutes to go over to Amazon and buy the top-rated bath toys. And I'm not here to say that those bath toys are harmful for your child. They're not. But you're busy. So what you do with that five to 10 minutes, it matters. And you know what would be way better than scrolling Amazon and even better than those bath toys? Three things that I can almost guarantee you have in your home. Measuring cups, kitchen sponges and you. Because a couple household materials dropped into the bathtub, and this mundane routine becomes fun and surprisingly energizing bonding time for you and your child. And bonus, instead of the manufacturer-designed toy telling your child how to play, your child's brain has to do the heavy lifting. And that's that superfood for the brain.

我们就举洗澡时间 这个简单的例子。 如果我是个忙碌的妈妈， 有点闲钱， 我可能会把孩子丢进浴缸， 几周以来，购买洗浴玩具一直 在我脑海中那长长的待办事项中， 所以我掏出手机， 在亚马逊上花五分钟 购入了评分最高的洗浴玩具。 我不是想说 这些洗浴玩具对你的孩子有害。 它们不是有害的。 但是你很忙。 但是你在那 5 到 10 分钟内 做的事十分重要。 你知道有什么能比刷亚马逊和 那些洗浴玩具更棒吗？ 我敢保证你家里一定有 这三样东西。 量杯、 厨房海绵和你自己。 因为如果把这些日常用具 放进你的浴缸， 这枯燥乏味的家务 对你和孩子来说就成为了 更加有趣、让人振奋的联结时间。 附赠一点， 你没有使用那些教孩子怎么玩的 流水线玩具， 而是依靠孩子自己的大脑 承担重任。 这就是给大脑的超级食物。

Now, over the past 10 years coaching parents, I have heard over and over again that parents don't feel good enough at their job, at parenting. And there's so much pressure on us, and sometimes it feels like we're supposed to innately know how to get down on the floor and build our baby's brains. And over the past few years, the social media world has exploded with even more advice for parents and teachers. How to affirm children's feelings but still set clear boundaries. 15 ways to use a cardboard box in your classroom. And DIY Halloween costumes that are sure to win the school costume contest. And as I rattle those off, I could just imagine the rolling eyes from parents and teachers, and I share that frustration. Because sometimes all the chatter only makes us feel more pressured to get it right.

在过去 10 年的家长培训中， 我一次次听到 家长感觉没有胜任自己的工作， 即为人父母。 我们承受了很大的压力， 有时候感觉我们天生就得知道 如何亲身实践， 增强孩子的大脑。 在过去的几年里， 社交媒体的世界里充斥着 越来越多给家长和老师的建议。 如何判断孩子的感受 又保持明确的界限。 将纸板箱用于课堂的 15 种方法。 动手制作绝对能赢得 学校装扮大赛的万圣节装扮。 我列举了这么一堆， 都能想象到 家长老师的白眼， 我也知道这有多么让人崩溃。 因为有时这些满天飞的信息 只会让我们更迫切地想要做对。

When it comes to our children's learning, though, we don't have to be the perfect Etsy parent or the perfect Pinterest teacher. We have to prioritize interactions and be OK with them being imperfect. Because it may seem silly to admit that we don't feel good at playing with our kids, but as adults, it's not always intuitive. Sure, most of us played a lot when we were little. We'd tie the blankets around their neck and bound around the house like superheroes. But as we grew up, that type of play wasn't encouraged anymore. And just as with any skill that we don't use, we risk losing it.

但是说到子女教育， 我们不必成为完美的 Etsy 家长， 或者完美的 Pinterest 老师。 我们需要把互动放在第一位， 接受自己的不完美。 因为承认自己不擅长和孩子玩耍 似乎有点傻， 但是对于成年人来说， 玩耍并没有那么容易。 诚然，大多数人 小时候总是在玩耍。 我们会像超级英雄那样 把毯子系在脖子上， 绕着房子跑来跑去。 但是随着我们长大， 这种游戏再也不会受到追捧了。 就如同我们不使用的技能， 我们有可能会丧失它。

A couple months ago, my colleague and I, we were leading a workshop for parents and teachers. And we brought materials like shaving cream and plastic straws and buttons and pipe cleaners and just asked the parents and teachers to play, to create. Everyone froze. Then, slowly but surely, people started to create. And by the end of the session, their faces were lighting up as they shared their creations with the rest of the group. And it reminded me that as adults, we have to let go of our expectation that we get it right. Because if we opt out of play, based on what we know about how important our interactions are to children's development, if we opt out of play, it has major implications for their brain development.

几个月前，我和我的同事 为家长和老师 组织了一场工作坊。 我们带来了一些材料， 如剃须膏、 塑料吸管、纽扣、 管道清洁刷， 然后让家长和老师用它们玩， 用它们创造。 大家都呆住了。 但是大家确实逐渐开始创作了。 在活动结束的时候， 他们与大家分享了作品， 一脸高兴的神色。 这提醒了我，作为成年人， 我们得抛下必须要做对的预设。 因为如果我们不玩耍， 根据我们所知 互动对儿童发育的重要性， 如果我们不玩的话， 会对孩子的大脑发育产生 严重影响。

Now I know that finding the energy to play with our kids and students can be hard. Even in small doses, it takes our undivided attention. But it’s so worth it. Because in all my experience and research, I haven't found any evidence that making the homemade cookies for the school bake sale matters for your child's brain development. I haven't found any evidence that sewing that winning Halloween costume means they'll do well in school. But what does matter is that the interactions leave space for your child to learn, to persist, to play, to experiment. You have the power to have an enormous impact on their brain development. You are helping build the network of neural connections that lay the foundation for all of their future learning.

我知道留出精力 陪孩子和学生玩可能会很难。 就算是那么一点点精力， 还是会分走我们 全神贯注的注意力。 但这是值得的。 因为根据我的经验和研究， 没有任何迹象表明 为学校烘焙特卖 自制小饼干 对你孩子的大脑发育 会有什么帮助。 也没有迹象表明制作 获奖的万圣节装扮 代表孩子会在学校表现优秀。 但是重要的是， 互动体验为孩子的学习、 坚持、玩耍、试验创造了空间。 你有能力为孩子的大脑发育 创造重大影响。 你在帮助他们 搭建神经联结的网络， 为他们以后的学习打下基础。

So this week at bath time, I hope that you'll put aside the top-rated toys, forget that mental to-do list for a moment, grab some measuring cups, some kitchen sponges, and give it a try.

所以，这周的洗澡时间， 我希望你能丢开 那评分很好的玩具， 暂时忘记脑海中的待办事项， 拿上几个量杯、 几块厨房海绵，尝试一下。