This topic today is childhood connections to play. One of the directions was to include pictures of items that I considered essential to play when I was a child. Here they are:
That's it. Just my brothers and sisters. As a child, I suffered from asthma, and as a result, I frequently missed school and had a hard time making friends. I was rarely allowed to play at other children's houses, because of possible threats to my health: dogs, cats, indoor plants, smoking, etc. So most of my playing was done at home with my siblings.
We would devise elaborate stories and take over the entire lower level of the house. We used the furniture, blankets, cushions, and whatever else we could find to create castles, islands, or forts. Our mother (usually) allowed us to keep everything in place so we could pick up where we left off from day to day.
On days when breathing was good and threats were low, we would leave the house early in the morning, lunches packed, and we would take off to explore the neighborhood. Sometimes other children would join us, other times not, but the door was always open to whoever happened to come back with us.
Today play is much different than it was in my childhood. To begin with, the world is a much more dangerous place. Children cannot just "go out and explore" unsupervised. Stranger Danger is sadly part of our new reality. In the past, neighbors knew one another and looked out for each other, but today that is rarely the case.
In addition, most mothers work today, and therefore children do not spend their free time at home. They are frequently enrolled in day care, or spend their time with a grandparent or babysitter. Because of this, play is quite limited. Even in the best of centers, play time is at least partially structured, limited by space. low staffing, or schedules.
In school, play has become practically extinct. Schools have drastically cut, or even eliminated gym classes and recess periods. Budget cuts and increased pressure to have students perform well on standardized testing has lead schools to cut back on play so children can spend more time studying and preparing, even though research has proven time and time again that children NEED to play in order to learn. Hopefully, the politicians cutting the budgets and insisting upon testing will soon get the message that what they are asking for will give them the direct opposite results as what they want. Without play, children CANNOT learn!
Even as adults, we need to play, although we rarely make time for it. Work, families, school, household responsibilities all make finding time to just play seem irresponsible and foolish. Lack of playtime in adults has led to increased stress, illness, and being overweight. Imagine how much better life would be if we could spend out free time doing something fun instead of cleaning, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, or doing homework. I, myself, have found that returning to school, while still trying to work full time and run the house has led to poorer health, increased irritability, and increased illness. Even now, on a beautiful July Saturday, I am not outside having fun. I am writing a blog as part of an assignment while the washer, dryer, and dishwasher all run. When I finish, I will run to the grocery store, prepare dinner, clean the bathrooms and throw a couple more loads of laundry in, just so I can clear my Sunday so I can do more homework!
Kathy, I love your first quote; "Play is the work of childhood." This is so true, all children have to do when they are young is play! How amazing is that! I'm sorry to hear that your asthma kept you from doing certain things as a child, but I see that you have a big loving family that made sure you were not deprived of the luxuries of play. I think it is great how you use your family as childhood components of play instead of toys! I was an only child for 11 years and the only grandchild around for 3 years so I played alone for a good while of my early life but my parents played with me a lot so I believe what you say is true also; "even as adults, we need to play."
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteSounds like even though you had asthma you have wonderful memories of play, your quotes were great as well. It is a shame that we have to live in a world were stranger danger is a reality. I really think this has affected the way children play now because; parents have to worry about their child’s safety more than anything else. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kathy, I love your quotes. They have a true meaning of what early childhood education is all about. I'm glad you were able to overcome the struggles with asthma and still enjoy adventures of play. Its very sad to know that play is being eliminated from school and soulfully focusing on academic learning and skills. Yes, these are important, but so is play, its the way children and adults learn. I try my best to continue to play and mostly its with my students or younger family members. I enjoy this aspect with them and encourage them to play all the time.
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteAs stated in previous posts, I, also, experienced being a severe asthmatic as a child and still to this day as an adult. I can completely relate to your statement of not being able to go to other friends's houses because of environmental triggers. I had a couple of friends that were allowed to come to my house but that was it. It was rare in my childhood for my family and I to take a trips to the beach or somewhere outdoors due to my health. But, my parents always seemed to make up for it during Christmas! I remember having to spend Christmas in the hospital when I was 11. But my mother brought some of my presents to the hospital so that I could still experience opening presents on Christmas Day! It is true that we, as adults, need to play. This is what we call "vacation"! it's an amazing thing about play! Just this simple act of indulgence makes everything in the world okay again! I think this is why I love working with children so much...I have an excuse to play all day!