Evolution of play: unsupervised bat and ball to today's screens
| Boston
1950s:
鈥� Outdoor play without adult supervision was common in both urban and rural US settings.
鈥� Different ages played together.
鈥� Bicycles and balls were the main outdoor toys, and board games were the most common inside.
鈥� Much of play revolved around traditional games such as baseball, modified to fit space and materials.
1980s:
鈥� Use of toys increased, and many were 'branded' 鈥� connected to TV characters 鈥� Barbies, Power Rangers, My Little Ponies, etc.
鈥� Outdoor play was likely to be adult-supervised or part of an 'organized activity.'
鈥� TV viewing was increasingly a part of free time.
鈥� Athletics become more formal and age-based 鈥� such as soccer camp for 7-year-olds rather than neighborhood pickup soccer in a vacant lot.
2010s:
鈥� Toys are the center of play; most are connected to media characters and are somehow electronic.
鈥� Most free time is screen time spent in front of the TV, computer, etc.
鈥� Unsupervised outdoor time is almost nonexistent. Physical activity of any kind has decreased.
鈥� Multi-age, cross-gender play is disappearing, even among siblings.
