-George Bernard Shaw
"Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning...They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play." -Fred Rogers 9Mr. Rogers' neighborhood)
Essential play items for myself as a child were dirt and the outdoors. Growing up in the seventies in southern Arizona, I spent most of my days playing outside either with myself, siblings or the neighborhood children. We lived in a small town surrounded by desert and numerous warm days. It was a time when parents had few concerns about letting their young children roam freely around the neighborhood. It was not uncommon to ride your bike down the street, walk to a nearby store or play hide-in-go-seek with most of the children that lived on your street. I remember having sleep-overs in the backyard, building forts in the nearby desert, and playing games in each other's yards. When a parent needed to call a child to come home, they would just stand in their yard and call out their name. Someone in the neighborhood would know where "so and so" was playing and get word to them that their mother was calling them home.
It was truly a time when children were allowed to have large amounts of unrestricted playtime. I literally remember finishing my chores in the morning and running outside to play. We would spend the entire day outside and come back in starving and dirty just as it was getting dark. After dinner and bath, we passed out from exhaustion that was brought on by all the physical activity we had enjoyed all day long.
Today play for most young children is very different than how it was when I was growing up. Despite research showing how important free-play is to the overall development of young children, free-play has been greatly reduced due to many factors. Children may be raised in a family where both parents work, or from a single-parent family where there is little time left in the day for unrestricted play. Others may been too involved in structed sports, or clubs. Still others may live in areas that are too dangerous for children to be left unattended (Ginsberg, 2007).
Play and downtime have been an important part of my life both as a young person and now as a parent of young children. It is so easy to get caught up in a hurried lifestyle, especially these days. However, a life with too much structure and little freetime, leads to increased stress and depression (Ginsberg, 2007). My husband and I can always tell when our children have had too much of anything and need to decompress or just "chill". We have made it a point to not "over-schedule" our children's lives, in order for them to have time to just enjoy being a kid. As a family we try to keep the joy of not taking oneself too seriously alive, and to enjoy the simple things in life (Almon, 2002). Just this afternoon, I was having tea with my four-year old and our dog (who was dressed in a tutu), and my six-year old was battleing several dragons that were attempting to enter his castle.
References
Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorflibrary.org/Journal Articles/GW43almon.pdf
Ginsberg, K. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182-191. Retrieved from hppt://www.aap.org/pressroom/playfinal.pdf
It sounds like you had a lot of fun as a child growing up in the desert. It is a shame that more children do not have the same opportunities these days. I remember playing for hours outside, playing made-up games, riding bikes, and just exploring new things.
ReplyDeleteHi Donna, I was just in Arizona this past weekend for Thanksgiving and it is the most beautiful place I have been.The Grand Canyon threw me off my feet with excitement and awe.Thanks for sharing about your childhood play.Your kids are lucky you are an educator and knows the value of play.We will keep advocating for all children to be given the opportunity to experience the joy in free play.
ReplyDeleteHi Donna,
ReplyDeleteI also remember spending a lot of time playing outside with friends in the neighborhood. Sitting around watching television all day long was not encouraged or permitted. I loved playing outside. We would spend what seemed like the entire day outside and still want to stay longer. My friends, sister, and I had so much fun. We also enjoyed good physical health.
Thank you for sharing your fun times playing in the desert and putting up pictures of kids in the sand. It reminded me of when I was little playing at my Nana's house. She lived on a circle with about 10 houses and the middle of the circle was just a field, except for one spot that was made into a sand pit, or a giant sandbox. I remember playing with my cousins for hours and hours.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great quote, and so true. Children use play as their way of learning. It is so important for children to have the opportunity to learn and explore in order for them to further their understanding of the world around them.
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