My Connections to Play

Two quotes that summarize what play represented for me in childhood are:

"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning." - Diane Ackerman (Contemporary American Author)

"People tend to forget that play is serious." - David Hockney (Contemporary British Painter

I felt that these quotes represented my childhood because as a child, I absolutely loved to play. I loved learning about the world through play, and I love that the second quote addresses how serious I was about it. Even though I was playing, it was honestly my "work", and to each child, play is an extremely serious concept that must be achieved.

Two pictures of play items for my younger self:

(Photo courtesy of http://babybanter.sheknows.com/ 2011/02/baby- luchas-guide-to-valentines-day/mud-pie/)

As a child, I LOVED making concoctions - with anything from household items such as mayo, spices, mustard, etc. to MUD. I had so much fun playing with mud as a child... So if I were a kid again, I'd definitely go ahead and get a little dirty, and make that delicious pie :)

(Photo courtesy of http://www.pattycakedoll.comfiles/480019/ uploaded/TheBabyNurseryPort.JPG)

I did not play with many baby dolls as a child, but I did have one that I absolutely loved (that looks almost identical to this picture). I remember carrying this baby doll with me many places, and also how raggedy it looked by the time I was done with it. If I could play with a toy from my childhood, this would definitely be it.

When I was a child, I would say that my family members undoubtedly supported play. I believe that they each saw the importance of play and made sure that I had the chance to do so several times daily. I recall having many friends when I was a child – from neighbor’s children, to babysitter’s children, to children at my brother’s soccer games. My parents encouraged me to play with other children (whether I liked them or not) in most all situations.

I think a main difference from play today and play back when I was a kid is that it seems as if today’s children are not as eager to get up and go outside to play. With technology these days, it seems as though children are always “connected” to something. Perhaps because of this, I think there is a decline in imagination in today’s children. I am not speaking for each child, but in general, there does seem to be a lack of fantasy/imaginative play. For example, in one of our resources the author speaks about how a first grade teacher told her class to imagine something, and the class looked at her blankly because they were unsure what that meant (Almon 2002, p. 2). I hope that for the future, we are able to instill this type of pretend play in our children.

I found it interesting that I am to write about the role of play throughout the lifespan because of an email my mom sent me just yesterday. She receives daily “Messages from God” (via a Facebook Application) which is somewhat like a horoscope, but they have encouraging little messages. My mom never sends me these messages, but for whatever reason, she sent me this one. It says, “On this day of your life… we believe God wants you to know [that] we do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. Lighten up and play. Remember, you are God's child, so it's ok to be silly, be curious, be fun.” (I wish I could cite this better, but all I know is that it’s from Facebook J) Regardless of if you’re a Christian or not, the message is the same – play is vital at all stages of life.

References:

Facebook (2011). Application: Messages from God.

Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved fromhttp://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf