Ned Johnson

As close as we'll ever get to being in a movie! Heartfelt thanks to director Michael Morris of #bridgetjonesmadabouttheboy for shout-out to @selfdrivenchild. Like you, we've so loved watching Bridget grow up & become a #mom (Mum!), learning how to raise her own wonderful kids.

"It’s really made him the best player he could be,” @CoachJayWright said, “and also really happy in his skin.” @joshhart is more than a glue guy. He’s an example of ‘the street sweeper’ mentality If you could swap in "student" for "player," it might fix the whole #college process. nytimes.com/athletic/72553…

And, toddlers who excel at pretend play are significantly less likely to experience emotional and behavioral difficulties by the time they reach primary school Wait, more play makes for better learners?!? 🤯

@FreeRangeKids Analogous to overprotecting ALL kids out of justifiable concern for vulnerable kids needing more adult support?

This is worrisome! If we test ALL kids for mental health problems, we will get a ton of false positives, which can have their own terrible repercussions: Kids feeling labeled and "sick" when they're fine. AND resources stretched too thin to help the kids who truly need it.

For anyone worried about "this generation...so entitled, so lazy, no #grit....blah, blah, blah" check THIS out wapo.st/4mQzqbG #generationZ

Nothing to worry about, folks. -The Future A year ago in Beijing’s humanoid-robot half-marathon race, the first runner to cross the finish line took more than 2½ hours. In this year’s event, the champion beat the fastest human ever. wsj.com/tech/chinese-r… via @WSJ

Love this! Learning how to think involves cognitive flexibility - a core executive function vital to good #mentalhealth. Encouraging that helping students think and learn better can also help them be and feel better.

And, kids who fall from trees before age 9 are LESS afraid of heights as adults than others. “Whatever doesn’t kill you…makes you braver?” pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC78…

Few things are as fun as seeing friends. Seeing funny friends? Next level. Hard to top getting together with @LetGrowOrg’s @FreeRangeKids (Lenore Skenazy). Yep, finding time to play - with friends - is good for pretty much everything!

@JeremyTate41 @CollegeBoard shortened SAT passages because it learned that students were not reading long texts (if you accept premise that 70 lines is long) but instead reading the questions and looking for answers. Surrender? I agree. Reflecting how students read not redefining education

Neuroscientist explains how the SAT is redefining education

No surprise then the @ksgovernment state motto: Ad astra per aspera - “to the stars through difficulties” - a veritable definition of #play.

This a PERFECT insight into #teen #motivation. This delightfully deranged backyard performance shows @centerforSDT at work: competency, relatedness, and #autonomy for the win! And, #grit and #flow. Just imagine HOW MANY times they tried and failed before getting it right. Dang.

Wow.

US and Western countries experience more severe negative effects from smartphone— life in highly individualistic, perfectionistic societies may amplify the psychological toll…anxiety disorders are more common in high-income countries. “It suggests something about the stress levels in these places — how competitive they are.” wapo.st/4vho2JA

@FreeRangeKids @JonHaidt In the "good old days," (we) kids were sent outside to get our ya-ya's out. Reckon our parents were all wrong?

More opp'y to stay home online! Canada's Wonderland states: "Starting at 4 p.m., all guests ages 15 or younger must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 in order to be admitted or remain in the park." ctvnews.ca/toronto/articl… H/T Emily Adams. Note: @JonHaidt

Yep, it's true. “I was born in 1972. I was a feral kid. We had an incredible amount of independence. It was easier to be anonymous. It was easier to just disappear for a little while.” "Stand By Me" at 40. @JonHaidt @LetGrowOrg @FreeRangeKids nytimes.com/2026/03/22/opi…

@GovernorShapiro Kids shouldn’t have to fight for “yard time.”

The best thing we can do for our kids right now is to just let them be kids. Kids are getting cell phones sooner than any generation before them, screen times are up while real human connection is down, and foundational skills aren’t being taught enough these days. We need to take a step back. It’s why I just signed a bipartisan bill into law, requiring cursive handwriting to once again be taught in PA public schools. It’s also why I’ve called on the legislature to pass a bill requiring schools to both implement a bell-to-bell cell phone ban and guarantee recess for every Pennsylvania student.  Let’s continue our work to set young people on a path to success — and let our kids be kids.

Proud to be on this podcast with the man who made me understand the incredible value of free play -- and how much kids are learning even when not being "taught." That is, the inspirational Peter Gray: wayfaremagazine.org/p/raising-chil…

Shout it from the rooftops!

Thanks for sharing, Rosemarie @JBrehenyWallace makes a great point!