The Strong® explores play and the ways in which it encourages learning, creativity, and discovery and illuminates cultural history. The Strong carries out this mission through five programmatic arms called “Play Partners.” These are the National Museum of Play, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the National Toy Hall of Fame, the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play, and the American Journal of Play.
Collecting and preserving
The Strong owns and cares for the world’s most comprehensive collection of toys, dolls, games, electronic games, books, photographs, documents, and other historical materials related to play. These ever-growing resources enable and support a multi-faceted array of interpretive and educational activities that serve a diverse audience of adults, families, children, students, teachers, scholars, collectors, and others who study play.
Interpreting and educating
The Strong develops and offers exhibitions, public programs, publications, online content, research opportunities, and other mission-driven experiences and services that engage, entertain, and enlighten through the exploration and interpretation of play. The Strong’s exhibitions provide a unique blend of artifacts and interactivity, and its collections provide unparalleled resources for research. Standards-based school lessons serve students from hundreds of communities in Western New York and beyond, and professional development opportunities assist pre-service and in-service teachers throughout the region. Woodbury Preschool and a circulating library within The Strong’s National Museum of Play widen this educational impact. The American Journal of Play and The Strong’s websites, with their searchable collections, blogs, and other features, extend the institution’s interpretive and educational services around the globe.
Reaching out
Through partnerships with dozens of community organizations, The Strong makes its National Museum of Play accessible to families, children, and other guests with special needs and interests. These programs include Summer SUN (Strong’s Urban Neighborhoods), Passport to Family Fun, Foster Family Admissions, Play Therapy Access for Children with Disabilities, and the Nurse-Family Partnership Community Health Collaboration. The Strong also provides a Pediatric Residency Play Observation Program for physicians who work with children.
Through all these activities and more, The Strong seeks to ensure that present and future generations understand the critical role of play in human physical, social, and intellectual development and the ways in which play reflects cultural history.
