Does hothousing rob children of their childhood?

Conceptual split? Parents' and experts' perceptions of play in the 21st century

“…Specific forms of play, particularly those that promote child-initiated exploration and curiosity, lead to the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary for later academic success. As Sigel (1987) noted, highly Conceptual Split 7 structured learning environments seem to oppose children's natural learning mechanism, which may account for their reduced effectiveness as found in educational research.…”

“…Irving Sigel spent much of his professional career advocating that play be incorporated in early educational environments and in home settings (Laosa & Sigel, 1982;Sigel, 1987). According to Sigel, "the child as an active learner has to have opportunities for self-directed activities through play and other exploratory adventures as a means of self-stimulation and healthy development" (Sigel, 1987, p. 214).…”

“…Over two decades ago, Sigel (1987) noted that the United States is embroiled in an ideological conflict in how to best educate preschool children. In opposition to the play-learning belief endorsed by the scientific community, 'hothousing' became a norm within U.S. society.…”

“…According to Sigel (1987), the underlying philosophy of the hothousing belief was that children have a natural proclivity and motivation to learn and thus "children can learn anything if it is properly arranged; that appropriate structuring of the very young child's learning environment with accompanying, properly calibrated materials will enable that child to learn" (p. 212). Echoing Sigel's early warnings, Zigler et al (2004) assert play is now under siege.…”

“…Parents report a reduction in children's free time at home, often replaced by structured activities with an academic concentration (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005;Raymond, 2000). As forewarned by Irving Sigel (1987), "hot-housing" techniques to foster early childhood learning has led to a focus on structured activities designed to promote academic results rather than thinking and creativity. The emphasis on academic preparation over unstructured play may represent an emerging parental belief of play's reduced effectiveness for early academic learning.…”