VIDEO: Open with children playing while riding in family van. Cut to shot of mom driving van.

Cut to boys playing baseball.
Cut to parents in reviewing stands.
Cut back to mom driving van.

VOICEOVER: MUSIC LESSONS, ART CLASSES, LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL. IN AN EFFORT TO DEVELOP THEIR CHILD'S POTENTIAL, MANY PARENTS ARE GUILTY OF OVER-SCHEDULING THEM. A SITUATION PSYCHOLOGISTS CALL HYPER PARENTING. SANDRA RUSS IS A PSYCHOLOGIST AT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY. SHE STUDIES HOW CHILDREN'S PLAY SKILLS EFFECT OTHER BEHAVIOR AND BELIEVES SCHEDULING OUT A CHILD'S FREE PLAYTIME COULD DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD.

SOT & SUGGESTED SUPER: Sandra Russ, CWRU professor of psychology

VIDEO: Cut-aways of girls playing in back of van.
Cut-aways of boys playing baseball.

INTERVIEW: Pretend play really is an adaptive resource for kids. It helps them in other areas. Over-scheduling is not good for many children because it really robs them of time that they need to do things that are important for them developmentally. To do things that help them to develop, to solve problems, to do things on their own. To learn how to amuse themselves. Children really need to learn to do this. They also need to just have relaxation time where they don't do much of anything. Just like adults need this, children need this too. So it's really important that parents be sensitive to this. (TRT :42)

VIDEO: Cut to child playing with puppets during play-skills testing.

Cut to same girl during dental examination.
Cut back to boy striking out in baseball game.

Cut to black.

VOICEOVER: RUSS SAYS ALLOWING YOUR CHILD TO DEVELOP GOOD PLAYING SKILLS WHEN THEY'RE YOUNG CAN INCREASE THEIR CREATIVITY AND THE ABILITY TO HANDLE STRESSFUL SITUATIONS. QUALITIES RUSS SAYS THEY'LL CARRY THROUGHOUT THEIR ADULT LIFE.

THIS IS DAVE NAROSNY REPORTING FROM CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY, CLEVELAND.