Those who played in the street until nightfall gained a skill that we have lost today
In 1971, a pioneering study from the psychologist Roger Hart He asked dozens of children to draw a map of places where they could move alone. What he discovered It was surprising: Some traveled several kilometers without adult supervision and knew their neighborhood like the back of their hand. Decades later, Hart repeated the exercise and found that this “territory of freedom” had been drastically reduced, a trend that has since been observed in numerous countries. A value that many of us considered lost. For years, playing in the street until nightfall was remembered above all as an image loaded with nostalgia. However, a number growing research is coming to a conclusion much more interesting: that everyday freedom was also an unparalleled psychological training. Yes, resolving conflicts without adults, exploring the neighborhood, taking small risks or even inventing games on the fly thanks to “boredom” helped develop skills like autonomy, trust, emotional regulation and the ability to face uncertainty, skills that many experts today consider less and less frequent among the children. It’s not the parks, it’s the size of the world. Researchers use a very graphic concept to measure this transformation: the home rangethe territory that a child can walk without supervision. I remembered the Washington Post that just a few generations ago the baby could cover several kilometers. Today, in many cases, it barely reaches the door of the house. In fact, studies carried out in different countries show that less and less minors can go to school alone, cross a main street or visit a friend in the neighborhood without permission or constant supervision of an adult, a reduced independence that reflects the extent to which childhood has changed. Playing was not a waste of time. When a group of children were discussing the rules of a game, deciding who started, or finding a solution to recover a lost ball, they were doing much more than entertainment. The researchers they count that, without realizing it, negotiation, cooperation, creativity, frustration tolerance and decision making were practiced. Precisely for that reason, a study A recent study by Aarhus University concluded that children themselves consider it essential that the game belongs to them and not to adults, to the point that one of its authors summed up the idea with a phrase as provocative as it is revealing: “Sometimes an adult should shut up and go away.” Small risks also educate. Falling off a bicycle, climbing a tree or returning home with scraped knees are part of common memories for several generations. Nowadays, these episodes are usually interpreted as situations that should be avoided, but many psychologists hold that these controlled risks teach something difficult to acquire in any other way: evaluate dangers, overcome fear and verify that problems usually have a solution. In fact, various scientific works they point Even this gradual exposure to uncertainty can strengthen self-confidence and reduce the risk of anxiety in the long term. The data that proves it right. Nostalgia may idealize the past, but scientific evidence is beginning to support some of that perception. a study of the University of Exeter with more than 4,000 children concluded that those who played outdoors more frequently between the ages of two and four were more likely to maintain a good mental health profile up to eight years. Not only that. Other research with 2,500 minors found that outside play was associated with better social and emotional skills, reinforcing the idea that these benefits go far beyond physical exercise. It’s not the screens, but what they have replaced. In what they insist experts is that the decline in outdoor play cannot be explained by technology alone. Traffic, the disappearance of safe spaces, the reduction of recreation time, parental fear and a culture that tends to supervise any children’s activity also play a role. The result is a childhood much more organizedwith more guided activities and fewer opportunities to experiment, make mistakes and learn on your own. The great paradox. Of course, no researcher proposes returning to a time with fewer security measures or letting children do anything. The debate revolves around another question: strike a balance between protecting and allowing them to develop their own autonomy. After decades trying to eliminate any risk from childhood, psychology is beginning to remember an idea that many generations learned by playing in the street until nightfall: confidence does not usually appear when everything is under control, but when someone discovers that they are capable to get ahead on your own. Image | Joe Shlabotnik, Brittany Grater In Xataka | David Sands, expert in animal psychology: “If your cat licks you, he is signaling to you that you are his property.” In Xataka | If you’re overwhelmed, go for a walk: Science confirms that movement literally ignites your creativity
