2026 Conference

Join us for TASP’s first-ever book session, an exciting opportunity to explore how playful learning can enhance life and learning and shape the future. Drawing on Jonathan Haidt’s book The Coddling of the American Mind, we will consider how unstructured, creative play can empower individuals of all ages to thrive amid challenges.

This session invites educators, researchers, and advocates to grapple with a pressing question: Have we inadvertently facilitated antifragile students and can play be the solution? Through reflections and open dialogue, we’ll examine how playful thinking fosters resilience, innovation, and social connection in a world that is increasingly uncertain and complex. Together, we’ll discuss how play enables children (and the adults who guide them), as well as adults of all ages, to engage and learn in the present while envisioning alternative futures grounded in empathy, creativity, and equity.

Participants are encouraged to come having read some or all of The Coddling of the American Mind to enrich the discussion and share insights. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with colleagues across disciplines, share ideas, and ignite conversations that bridge research and practice. Let’s discover together how risk-taking, creative exploration, and unstructured learning can cultivate the adaptability, confidence, and courage needed to thrive today and tomorrow.