Free To Learn: Why Unleashing The Instinct To Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, And Better Students For Life

A leading expert in childhood development makes the case for why self-directed learning -- "unschooling" -- is the best way to get kids to learn. In Free to Learn, developmental psychologist Peter Gray argues that in order to foster children who will thrive in today's constantly changing world, we must entrust them to steer their own learning and development. Drawing on evidence from anthropology, psychology, and history, he demonstrates that free play is the primary means by which children learn to control their lives, solve problems, get along with peers, and become emotionally resilient. A brave, counterintuitive proposal for freeing our children from the shackles of the curiosity-killing institution we call school, Free to Learn suggests that it's time to stop asking what's wrong with our children, and start asking what's wrong with the system. It shows how we can act -- both as parents and as members of society -- to improve children's lives and to promote their happiness and learning. Review "Peter Gray...forces us all to rethink our convictions on how schools should be designed to accommodate the ways that children learn."? Steven Pinker "[ Free to Learn is] a powerful agent of transformation. I'd like to put a copy in the hands of every parent, teacher, and poligcy maker."? Mothering.com "If you've ever wondered why your curious kid is turning into a sullen slog at school, Peter Gray's Free to Learn has the answer. He also has the antidote."? Lenore Skenazy, author of Free-Range Kids "Weaving together evidence from psychology, history, and anthropology, [Gray] makes the case that compulsory schooling is not only misguided but deeply damaging, an affront to the playful instincts of childhood."? Psychology Today "Anyone who cares about learning should read Free to Learn. Gray's book is a compelling and easy read; if everyone would read it with an open mind, a wholesale revolution in education (right through to university) would be the inevitable outcome."? Dissident Voice "This is an extraordinary and relevant book for unschooling parents, and those who care about the well-being of the children in their lives."? Home Education Magazine "In Free to Learn, a passionate paean to the kind of free play and free learning exemplified by Smith's example, Peter Gray, an evolutionary psychologist at Boston College, makes a largely compelling case that children learn best when unencumbered by adult-imposed activities and institutions."? American Journal of Play "Free to Learn stimulates a parent's thinking about what kind of learning environment helps their child learn and adjust best, and then how to simulate that environment at home or out of school if it doesn't exist among their school options.... Gray has caused me to re-focus my grandparenting activities in ways that will encourage freedom of learning and play. We may not be able to change the world, but we can help our children adapt better to it."? PyschCentral "A great one...this important book makes a strong case for life learning."? Life Learning Magazine " Free to Learn is a courageous and profoundly important book. Peter Gray joins the likes of Richard Louv and Alfie Kohn in speaking out for a more humane, compassionate and effective approach to education"? Frank Forencich, author of Exuberant Animal and Change Your Body, Change the World About the Author Peter Gray is a research professor in the Department of Psychology at Boston College. The author of Psychology, a highly regarded college textbook, he writes a popular blog called Freedom to Learn for Psychology Today. He lives in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.