Children at Play: An American History

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”At a time when children’s play seems under siege, Howard Chudacoff’s history—the first of its kind—arrives to tell us what we are letting slip away. . . . His history demonstrates that the topic of play is anything but trivial. And by showing us where we’ve been, he can help us decide where, as a culture, we want to go.”
—Wilson Quarterly

”A fascinating and provocative survey. . . . Chudacoff builds up a scathing critique of modern parents’ intrusion in children’s play.”
—New York Times Book Review

”In this wonderfully polished, scholarly treatment of children and play from Colonial times to the present, Chudacoff uses excellent historical methodology and perceptive psychological insights, putting primary sources to good use, as he presents an illustrated, chronological history of children at play from ages six to 12.”
—Library Journal (starred review)

”In tracing the history of play over the American centuries, Chudacoff makes the mid-seventeenth century sound like our own time, only better.”
—Slate.com

”[Chudacoff’s] history demonstrates that the topic of play is anything but trivial. And by showing us where we’ve been, he can help us decide where, as a culture, we want to go.”
—The Wilson Quarterly

”The tension between how children spend their free time and how adults want them to spend it runs through Chudacoff’s book like a yellow line smack down the middle of a highway. His critique is increasingly echoed today by parents, educators and children’s advocates who warn that organized activities, overscheduling and excessive amounts of homework are crowding out free time and constricting children’s imaginations and social skills.”
—The New York Times

”Children at Play is a strong addition to the growing literature on childhood, but it’s also good reading for adults seeking a fresh perspective on their own kids.”
—American Heritage

”Chudacoff’s work gives historical depth to debates that continue to rage over what constitutes appropriate child’s play.”
—Publishers Weekly

"Shrewd, balanced, witty, and important. Chudacoff has written a sweeping history that encompasses boys and girls, black children and white, rich and poor, children on farms and in cities. He shows how children play alone and with each other, and how they use their imaginations to create a world apart from their parents. This is historical synthesis at its finest, and instantly becomes an essential text in this new and dynamic area of inquiry."
—Paula S. Fass, author of Children of a New World: Society, Culture, and Globalization

“Children at Play is a brilliant, richly researched study that foregrounds children’s voices, offering a message that could not be more timely or profound: That the history of children’s play consists of an ongoing struggle between adults who seek to improve and safeguard the young, and kids themselves, who have sought to create worlds of play that are truly their own.” —Steven Mintz, author of Huck’s Raft: A History of American Childhood

"In this beautifully written book, Howard Chudacoff lets us peer into the diverse playworlds of America's children across time and place. Informed by deep historical research and balanced with the best sociological and psychological theory, Chudacoff shows us how children (often in spite of adults) used play to express their freedom and themselves."
—Gary Cross, author of The Cute and the Cool: Wondrous Innocence and Modern American Children's Culture

If you believe the experts, "child's play" is serious business. From sociologists to psychologists and from anthropologists to social critics, writers have produced mountains of books about the meaning and importance of play. But what do we know about how children actually play, especially American children of the last two centuries? In this fascinating and enlightening book, Howard Chudacoff presents a history of children's play in the United States and ponders what it tells us about ourselves.

Through expert investigation in primary sources-including dozens of children's diaries, hundreds of autobiographical recollections of adults, and a wealth of child-rearing manuals-along with wide-ranging reading of the work of educators, journalists, market researchers, and scholars-Chudacoff digs into the "underground" of play. He contrasts the activities that genuinely occupied children's time with what adults thought children should be doing.

Filled with intriguing stories and revelatory insights, Children at Play provides a chronological history of play in the U.S. from the point of view of children themselves. Focusing on youngsters between the ages of about six and twelve, this is history "from the bottom up." It highlights the transformations of play that have occurred over the last 200 years, paying attention not only to the activities of the cultural elite but to those of working-class men and women, to slaves, and to Native Americans. In addition, the author considers the findings, observations, and theories of numerous social scientists along with those of fellow historians.

Chudacoff concludes that children's ability to play independently has attenuated over time and that in our modern era this diminution has frequently had unfortunate consequences. By examining the activities of young people whom marketers today call "tweens," he provides fresh historical depth to current discussions about topics like childhood obesity, delinquency, learning disability, and the many ways that children spend their time when adults aren't looking.