Flights of Fancy | Free play shapes a child's brain—and bestows a lifetime of benefits

Flights of Fancy | HMS: Play fosters empathy and makes possible complex social groups, according to researchers who study brain development and behavior. Early childhood educators, as well as managers in diverse fields who need to hire skilled problem solvers, find that a strong foundation of childhood play is at the core of imagination and innovation. Play may even serve as a short-term boost for problem-solving skills: cognitive scientists have found that young children who approach problems within the context of play are able to solve logic problems often considered beyond their cognitive abilities.