I&#x27;m an American parent of mixed French-American children, and I have a very hard time believing that schools are the cause of this.  American preschools are way behind French preschools in terms of academic preparation, and yet French children aren&#x27;t exhibiting the same kinds of problems.<p>If it really is a play issue, it&#x27;s more likely that American parents don&#x27;t allow their children more freedom on the playground, instead helicoptering around (I&#x27;m guilty) and not allowing them to just handle things themselves.