"Play is the great equalizer. It is universal, natural human pursuit."
Reference:
Rivera, M. (2009). The powerful effect of play in a child's education. Education Digest, 75(2), 50-52.
As a young child, I remember wanting to play all the time. It was a natural part of growing up, that I can't imagine living without. Through play, I developed friendships, stayed active, and learned about the world from my older siblings. Growing up in a large family, there was always someone to play with and we always had neighbors that we got together with as well. We lived out of town in the country for much of my childhood and the neighbors, my siblings, and myself explored the area on our bikes a lot. We rode trails, packed lunches, explored abandoned homes, picked berries, and more on our bikes. We talked and developed friendships while we enjoyed the outdoors together. While riding bikes we would talk to each other, making conversation and learning from each other. Other games that we enjoyed playing and did so over and over again through the years are baseball and capture the flag. We always had enough kids to break up into teams and play games that would last all day long. Playing capture the flag was exciting and involved lots of strategy, spying, and running around!
My parents supported play by making sure that wherever we lived we had opportunities to play outdoors. Every time we moved, one of the first things my dad would do was build a play structure with swings, a slide, and a fort. They always made sure that our house was a safe place for us to live and freely play. Today my role in play is to support my daughter by interacting with her in her favorite play times. She is five and loves pretend play. She loves to play in her bedroom and loves to dance. I provide opportunities for her to play with friends and provide a safe environment for her to explore and play in. I also have to limit her time watching television. Even with how much my daughter loves to be active and play, I have found that television and electronics can be very addictive. I think it is one of the biggest changes that I have seen working with children and teenagers. The role of electronics is very powerful and changes many of their social interactions. They are not as active and many of their interactions are not face-to-face anymore. For my daughter, I hope to find a good balance between play and the media. I understand the importance of play and love to watch my daughter interact with other children and express herself through dance and play.
I believe that play is important for all ages. Everyone needs to have personal interests and fun physical activity in their lives!
Here are a few pictures from my childhood. Bikes allowed us to explore and play structures allowed us to develop play schemes and games easier.
