My Connections to Play

A child loves his play, not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.

~Benjamin Spock  

American pediatrician

1903–1998

Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play. 

~Henri Matisse

French painter

1869–1954

Essential Play Items

  

Kind of funny putting a 2x4 as a play item, but when I think back about the types of play I engaged in, my brothers and I were always using 2x4s.  Making bridges across imaginary swamps, walls and ceilings for forts, a ladder for our tree house, imaginary tight ropes, etc.

   

I wasn’t a total tomboy, I played with Barbies and dolls too, but I have so many good memories of unsupervised backyard/front yard/in the street basketball, soccer, and baseball games with the neighborhood kids.  Nobody kept score, it didn’t matter how good you were.  It was all just for fun!

My mom supported my play in many ways.  Providing a safe space for my friends, by brothers and me to play, providing encouragement, and providing most play items without question.  I remember going to my mom and asking her for a can of blue and white spray paint, some newspaper, and masking tape.  Without question, she provided me with the materials and I went to work for hours, day after day, painting an elaborate pattern on my swing set.  Play for me when I was a child was an outlet for creativity, a chance to live in an imaginary world, and a way to spend time with cherished friends. 

I remember summer days when I didn’t want to sleep in, afraid that I might miss out on a part of the day.  Only coming in to eat and being called back in after the sun set, dirty feet and lightning bugs in a jar, a relaxing bath and off to bed, prepared to find a new adventure the next day.  Television, video games, electronics, and toys that talk were not a part of my play as a child as they are to children today.  Children today don’t need an imagination; they don’t need to be creative because the toys do all the work.  I can’t count how many times I’ve heard a child say “What does it do?”  There has been a shift in a child’s mentality from “I can create the fun” to “How does this toy create the fun?”

Play is essential in all aspects of an individual’s life.  Play at a young age cultivates creativity and imagination.  As you grow into adulthood play becomes an outlet for fun, a way to get away from the stress of everyday life.  Play provides children with the skills and strategies to problem solve, experiment, and discover.  Important skills that are essential in all areas of life.  As stated by Miller and Almon (2009), the power of play in early childhood is a vital force for young children’s physical, social, and emotional development.  These important areas of growth are instrumental in a child’s ability to learn and be successful in both school and life.

Reference:

Miller, E & Almon, J. (2009) Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why children need to play in school. Alliance for Childhood. Retrieved from

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allianceforchildhood.org/files/file/kindergarten_report.pdf