Peter Gray

These were young children, about probably five or six years old,

and then also recorded them when they were in class talking with their teacher and also recorded them when they were just sitting around having lunch.

When they were playing, the language was far more sophisticated, far more real, far more authentic than in any other situation.

Because when you're playing with other kids, you're constantly negotiating, you know,

Maybe picture a group of young children playing that they're going to the King's Ball.

And, you know, who's going to marry the prince?

And so then there's a discussion about that.

Or who gets to wear this beautiful set of necklaces that you find in the dress-up corner of the kindergarten room?

And so they spend more time negotiating and discussing what they're doing

Than actually playing it out, which is a good thing because that's how you think of what they're learning when they do that.

They're learning this incredibly important skill of being able to use words language to decide mutually what they're doing as a group.

How are we going to play this game.

Well, you know, sometimes it's just ridiculous.

You'll hear a parent or an adult say to a child, so, Billy, what color is that?

Oh, my gosh.

This is so patronizing, you know.

It's as if the purpose of the discussion is always kind of pedantic to try to teach the child something rather than an actual authentic back and forth discussion.

Yes, unlike kids.

I'll give you what I think is a nice example of this.

In one of the situations where I was observing age mix play and how seven and eight year old children playing card games with children who are somewhat older.