Flourishing

A recent Ezra Klein podcast, “Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We Know Of,” (NYT April 1, 2025) has prompted a lot of animated conversation among teachers, parents, friends, and anyone who cares about children and our culture. Speaking with the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of the book “The Anxious Generation,” Klein asks the essential question: What is childhood for? At Maayan, especially now as we prepare for Passover and undertake our responsibility to “tell this story” to our children, we might ask: What is Jewish childhood for? And importantly, what does it mean for a child to flourish?

Haidt responds that the purpose of childhood is to support the development of a big brained cultural creature. And how does that development happen? According to Haidt and many other educational theorists, including Lev Vygotsky whose work guides our Ilan Katan program, you have to play a lot. Because play is practice! And the richer and more complex the practice, the better. At 5 years old the human brain is 90 percent of its adult size and has more neurons than it will when adult.

Haidt goes on to say that some of the best environments to support brain development are multi-age as kids learn to teach, look out for, and problem-solve together….without significant adult interference. He notes that parents are a secure home base, and this allows children to feel securely attached and go off and explore – and learn. He gives the example of kickball, something that happens daily on our field. What do we do today? Who is on my team? Did she break the rules or not? He posits that it is this tension in the company of peers that enables the development of skills children need to flourish as adults.

At Maayan, we are committed to helping children develop and flourish. Grounded in academics and Jewish values, morals, and skills, equipped with problem solving and critical thinking strategies, engaging with others of different ages, and surrounded by caring adults committed to their healthy growth, and with time to play and practice (and limited screen time!), I believe Maayan kids are on their way to become flourishing adults.

What does flourishing mean to you? Are there ways we can expand our offerings to even better foster healthy development of these children, our most precious resource?

Dr. Pollin