It's to the best of our knowledge.

I'm Sarah Nix, in for Anne Strange Shamps.

Today we're talking about the power of play.

We'll take a look at a unique playground where kids run free.

They can light bonfires, use rusty old tools, and roll in the dirt.

And one man shares the story of how he finally connected with his autistic son

by pretending to be Disney characters. How did you play when you were a kid? Was it tag in the

park with your friends? Maybe hide and seek in the backyard with your brothers and sisters.

It may just seem like fun in games, but some researchers are finding that play is also really important training for adult life.

Psychologist Peter Gray writes about play in his book, Free to Learn.

Anne Strain Shamps talked with him about how plays changed in recent years.

Peter, do you really think that kids today are playing less than previous generations of kids did?

Yes, there's no doubt they are definitely playing less than previous generations.

I should probably to make my answer clear, say something about what play is.

When I say playing less, I mean that there is less of what other people might call free play, but to me,

free play is play. They're playing less on their own. They're playing less in ways where they

are controlling and directing the play, where they're making their own choices, solving their own problems,

where they not adults are determining from moment to moment what they're doing.

So I take it little league, youth soccer leagues, karate classes, you don't count these as play?

These are not play by this definition.

And, you know, I can elaborate on this, but there's a dramatic difference in what children learn in those kinds of adult-directed sports and activities compared to the activities

that they choose and direct themselves.

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