Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search

Health & Fitness Children's Health

The Art of Roughhousing

Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It

by (author) Anthony T. DeBenedet & Lawrence J. Cohen

illustrated by Carl Wiens

Publisher
Quirk Books
Initial publish date
May 2011
Category
Children's Health, Activities, Adolescence
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781594744877
    Publish Date
    May 2011
    List Price
    $16.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

Everywhere you look, physical play—what some might call “roughhousing”—is being marginalized. Gym classes are getting shorter. Recess periods are being eliminated. Some new schools don’t even have playgrounds. Is it any wonder children retreat to “virtual horseplay” via video games?

But Drs. Anthony T. DeBenedet and Lawrence J. Cohen are here to shake things up—literally! With The Art of Roughhousing, they show how rough-and-tumble play can nurture close connections, solve behavior problems, boost confidence, and more. Drawing inspiration from gymnastics, martial arts, ballet, traditional sports, and even animal behavior, the authors present dozens of illustrated activities for children and parents to enjoy together—everything from the “Sumo Dead Lift” to the “Rogue Dumbo.” These delightful games are fun, free, and contain many surprising health benefits for parents. So put down those electronic games and get ready to rumble!

About the authors

Anthony T. DeBenedet's profile page

Lawrence J. Cohen's profile page

Carl Wiens is an award-winning illustrator and printmaker who teaches illustration at Sheridan College. His work has appeared in children's books and publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine. Carl lives in Belleville, Ontario.

Carl Wiens' profile page

Excerpt: The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It (by (author) Anthony T. DeBenedet & Lawrence J. Cohen; illustrated by Carl Wiens)

CHAPTER 1

Our Bold Claim for Roughhousing

"It is difficult to capture ... real-life play in
words. But the overall impression given by
practically all mammals is a flurry of dynamic,
carefree rambunctiousness."
—Jaak Panksepp, Ph.D., in Affective Neuroscience

You know roughhousing when you see it: wrestling, pillow fights, jumping off beds, sliding down stairs. In this book, we give you a lot of roughhousing activities, but first we'd like to
explore the philosophy behind all the horseplay. What is roughhousing all about, and what does it mean for you and your children?

Roughhousing is play that flows with spontaneity, improvisation, and joy. It is free
from worries about how we look or how much time is passing. It is physical, and it promotes physical fitness, release of tension, and wellbeing. Roughhousing is interactive so it builds close connections between children and parents, especially as we get down on the floor and join them in their world of exuberance and imagination. Most important, roughhousing is rowdy, but not dangerous. With safety in mind, roughhousing releases the creative life force within each person, pushing us out of our inhibitions and inflexibilities.

Rowdy, physical, interactive play is by far the most common type of play in the animal
kingdom. It occurs in every species of mammal and in many nonmammalian species as well. We've all seen videos of lion cubs wrestling, but you'd be amazed by the vast number of species that enjoy rowdy play—elephants, whales, even ants.

The first person to explore the science of roughhousing was Harry Harlow, who observed
young rhesus monkeys in his animal psychology lab at the University of Wisconsin during the 1950s and '60s. Harlow noticed that the monkeys often practiced what he described as "rough-and tumble play." He was working during a time when many scientists did not consider play to be a viable subject for serious research, but Harlow went ahead and documented this play-fighting in great detail. He observed that the monkeys often
displayed a so-called play face—an open-mouth, teeth-bared expression—which looks fierce to humans but to other monkeys actually says, "Let's play."

Since Harlow, observers of human behavior have discovered that we are remarkably similar to rhesus monkeys when engaging in rough-and tumble play. Human children have their own play face, accompanied by smiles and laughter, to signal that roughhousing is play and not aggression. And, just like monkeys, roughhousing children will run, chase, jump, flee, wrestle, fall over, and play-fight. Playful hitting uses an open hand (as opposed to a fist) and much less force. The roles of the aggressor and the victim are fluid. In rough-and-tumble play, children—like young monkeys—will take turns being the chaser and the one being chased, the pinner and the one being pinned.

Editorial Reviews

“An inspired defense of roughhousing! I guarantee that if you read just a few pages of this book, you'll be down on the floor wrestling and laughing with your children.”—Michael Thompson, co-author of the national best seller Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
“Two dads offer the perfect antidote to helicopter parenting.”Washington Post
"Enthusiastically recommended." Starred review—Library Journal

Other titles by