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Play Makes Us Human

Peter Gray
Hundreds of paid subscribers

Letters about the roles of play in human evolution, child development, culture, and daily living

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Substack
PricingFreemiumPublishesWeekly
Issues197Founded4 years agoLast Issue8 days ago
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Artwork for Play Makes Us Human

Latest Issues

#125 Turning Problems into Play

Dear friends,

The toilet’s plugged, the cat’s been peeing on the couch, the lawn mower won’t start, the electric bill is through the roof, and my best friend is mad at me. Oy vey.

How might we respond to the everyday problems of life?

H...

8 days ago
29
6

AI Summary of August 15, 2026, Online Meeting for Paid Subscribers

This is, I think, a great summary of our discussion.

Dear friends,

16 days ago
7
6
Paid

#124. Restoring Childhood: How To Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety

Dear friends,

Perhaps you’ve noticed that my letters recently have a been spaced a bit farther apart than usual. I’ve been somewhat overwhelmed with tasks, but in a good way. Prepublication announcements about my new book—Restoring Childho...

19 days ago
47
8

Register Here for August 15 Online Meeting

This will be an "Ask Me Anything" meeting.

Dear friends,

24 days ago
10
5
Paid

#123. Research into Child Psychology is Largely the Study of Effects of Captivity.

Greyerbaby/Freerange Stock

Dear friends,

Recently, Cevin (pronounced Kevin) Soling sent me a link to a new article he and Kathryn Burrows published in the scholarly journal Educational Studies. The article is entitled Compulsory schooling...

a month ago
71
28

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Authors

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  • Peter Gray

    Boston College research professor Peter Gray specializes in the nature and value of play. You can learn about his work and find some of his talks, books, and academic articles at petergray.org.

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