Welcome back to The Warrior Way, the official podcast of the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District. I’m your host, Superintendent Mark Greathead, and today we’re going to discuss a topic that was the subject of our district-wide book study this past year - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.

One of the key themes of the book is how modern childhood has shifted away from unstructured, imaginative, and often outdoor play - and what that means for our kids. Joining me today to talk about this and how we can encourage more play-based learning is WBSD Curriculum Supervisor, Phil Short. Welcome, Phil!

Here are a few ideas that are simple but powerful:

• Backyard adventures – Give kids a flashlight and a mason jar and tell them to go on a bug hunt.
• Make-believe and role play – Let them turn a cardboard box into a rocket ship, castle, or puppet theater.
• Build-it challenges – Use LEGO, blocks, or recycled materials to build a bridge, tower, or invention of the day.
• Create a neighborhood obstacle course – Use jump ropes, hula hoops, and chalk to make it fun and active.
• And don’t underestimate the power of free time with friends - just letting kids figure out what to do on their own is incredibly valuable. The idea is to build independence and confidence.

Here are some fun and educational games you can do at home:

Math-Based Play Ideas

• Card games like War or Uno reinforce number sense and strategy.
• Cooking together builds real-world math skills like measuring and fractions.
• Dice games can help with addition, subtraction, or multiplication facts.
• Create a "store" at home and practice counting money and making change.

Reading Games

• Read-aloud charades – Read a short passage, then act it out!
• Scavenger hunts using clues with age-appropriate vocabulary.
• Story dice or storytelling cards – Kids roll a dice and make up a story based on the pictures or words.
• Library trips – Let them choose their own books, and maybe read outside in the shade with a blanket and snack.