Teachers and parents are frequently warned that students in the United States are lacking the academic skills they need for the 21st century. But a growing contingent of educators, psychologists, and other professionals are voicing worries that today's children are also growing up without the chance to play. Test preparation in kindergarten, homework requirements, busy out-of-school schedules, and reduced recess periods are leaving young children without time to engage in what author and early-childhood expert Vivian Gussin Paley calls "the theater of the young"--that make-believe world in which children act out stories. This article discusses the significance of play and free time for children's healthy development and describes how an emphasis on academics and other structured activities is stripping young children of much-needed time for make-believe.