"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." - Plato
"Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm for life that is irreplaceable. Without it, life just doesn't taste good." - Lucia Capocchione
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Pictures of Toys that Were Essential to My Play
Being an only child growing up, I was encouraged to play by myself or with the neighborhood kids when I was younger. My parents supported my play by encouraging me to use my imagination, exploring with my toys, and creating pictures to express myself. My grandparents supported my interest in puzzles and making sand castle or houses for my match box cars. I acted out events or situations I remember and saw while exploring and discovery my world. I enjoyed being outdoors and spending time going for walks, riding my bike, planting, and cooking. I got to help with the cooking and rolling hamburg into meatballs for spaghetti night. I enjoyed playing with my barbie dolls, match box cars, and my toy phone to call my friends and family on. I loved pulling the phone around with me so that I could call my favorite people any time I want. I loved playing in the sand and building houses for my match box cars to park at their home. The cars would drive to the shop to get food or clothing and to school. I also pretended to be a teacher and line up all my stuffed animals and teach them what I was being taught.
In some ways play is very different compared to when I was younger till now. Many children today, don't play outdoors at all. Many children are hooked on play with electronics and not longer play like I did as a child. I don't see many children today riding their bikes or playing a game of tag outside with friends, or even playing an outdoor game like bad-mitten anymore. Play today is so wrapped around academic skills and mastering these various academic skills to move forward in life. Its good and all, but children need to play with others and by themselves. I want children to find the love of nature again and be outdoors, exploring the beauty around them. I loved watching the flowers grow and bloom, digging for worms, and watching the clouds above me; naming them as they floated by. I want to see children do this again and not so attached to electronics. I find that children need to grow up faster then ever before and that the meaning of play is no longer an importance for a child's needs of growth and development (Almon, 2002).
The role of play is important on so many levels. I still enjoy play; whether its a video game, with the toddlers in my classroom, or my cousins and nieces and nephews. I like to read stories, though when I was younger, I enjoyed making up stories. Today, I still do, but this time I get to write them out and post them for others to view. I think, sometimes as an adult, we forget what its like to be a kid and playing with our toys and stuffed animals. When I read stories I always find myself, thinking I was a character in the story and what the character would do in the story - I was doing instead of the character. Still do that today when I am reading. My development is still growing and developing, even if I'm in my early 30's. The understanding and knowledge of development and play starts in infancy and goes through adulthood (Berger, 2012).
References:
Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf
Berger, K.S. (2012). The Developing Person through Childhood. (6th Ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Hi Erin,
ReplyDeleteI grew up with a younger brother, we were three years apart. We were constantly outside playing basketball, football, kickball, hide at seeking at dusk, and running around the subdivision with the other neighborhood kids. It was rare to find us inside. We would try and cut our chore list just so we could get outside. As we got older probably all the way to my freshman year of High School we were constantly outside. Making observations about today's society and looking around when I go out young children, adults and families all of these electronic devices surrounding them and keeping them occupied. In my family we have a rule that at the table all electronics have to stay in our pockets until the meal is over. It is amazing the difference in our family interaction when we don't have our devices out and distracting us from the most important people in our lives.
Erin, I completely adore this quote; "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw" I think it is so true because sometimes I feel way older than what I am simply because I don't "play" as much. I totally remember having one of these telephones as a child. I had completely forgot about that toy! I do agree with you that most children do not engage in outdoor play theses days. Most kids have some type of electronic device to occupy their time instead of learning the true value of play as we did when we were children.
ReplyDeleteErin,
ReplyDeleteI liked the picture of the barbie doll. I remember playing with those dolls for hours. I also remember having way to many clothes for them. That was a toy that stayed with me for years. I remember playing with them even as I got older. My next door neighbor had the biggest barbie house and all the great accessories.
Courtney