Quotes that summarize what play
represented for you in childhood.
“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a
luxury. Play is a necessity.” -Kay Redfield Jamison
“Play is so integral to childhood that a child who does not have
the opportunities to play is cut off from a major portion of childhood.”
-Mussel white
Toys
from my childhood
When I was a child play permitted me to get away from the
reality that was going on around me. Through play, I could block out the things
that was going on in my life. I didn’t like playing with dolls, playing dress
up, or playing with baby dolls. Instead I was more interested in play cooking,
listening to my record player, and I would spend hours trying to figure out my
rubric cube. We also played outside a lot interacting with children in our
neighborhood, which gave us freedom to run around. Nowadays children have less
freedom for productive play, they are more interested in technology or watching
TV, or video games. I believe children would enjoy their playtime more if they
experience what we did like getting dirty, riding bikes, and playing outdoors
with the neighborhood children.
Play permits children to observe, communicate, explore and
appreciate their world. According to
Almon, (2002) it states “Play helps children weave together all the elements of
life as they experience it. It allows them to digest life and make it their own.”
(Almon, 2002) Play collaborates to the growth of children connected to
cognitive, social, emotional, and language characteristics. Language advocates
symbolic thought which supports self-regulation, cognition, and social
capability in childhood and adulthood. Play permits me to laugh, and unwind. Play
is a devoted part of childhood that gives children meaningful educational benefits.
References
Almon,
K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways,
43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf
Great post! I can relate to the rubix cube! I still can not figure it out. It gave me patience and it helped cure boredom. The last quote you posted spoke to me. It is true that during childhood it is part of who we grow to be and the skills we need to live. Can we say that play is like "survival of the fittest"?
ReplyDeleteAgain, great job!
Cassandra Richards
Atheta,
ReplyDeleteI was always challenged by the rubix cube Love the last phrase on you quote regarded play “it's not just play they are skills for life.” So true. I think my passion for teaching was fueled because as a child I was able to pretend play that I was a teacher.
Angela.
I always loved Simon as a child. It was a great challenge to remember the sequence. I never beat the game or won, but I remember getting 18 right in a row. I was so proud of myself and it was all because my mom kept a game from her childhood she loved and it challenged me.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that play is essential to learning. I think as adults we forget that play is not just play, play is the foundation for building social skills, emotional skills, and other skills like academics and a yearning for discovery.
"Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity." YES YES YES. Absolutely. Also, I put a play kitchen on my blog too - I played with that almost daily!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, You are very creative. I agree with you that play is a necessity not a luxury.
ReplyDelete