“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.” ~ Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)
As a child, I enjoyed dressing up in my older sisters' clothes and shoes!
Loved to run around in an open area playing softball and kickball
Loved to pretend to be a famous singer using things around the house for a microphone and other musical instruments
As a child, my parents would encourage us to play. They would encourage us to go outside and play different games with other children in the neighborhood such as Hide-and-Seek, racing, kick ball, softball, and basketball. When we were tired of our usual games, we would be creative to create new games. The people I played with were like my extended family because we played frequently with one another.
The Difference of Play Today
Today, children have a lot of distractions that will limit their particpation in play. Television, gaming systems, and other technologies. These gadgets have limited children's play and interaction with one another. When I was child, all my friends and I had were each other. This led us to be creative and active, because we did not have the things children have today. Today, children have the choice of fancy toys and video games. Technology has changed so much that children can sit in the house all day without any social/physical interaction.
Play has taught me to "think outside the box" when faced with certain challenges in my life.
I agree with you that Play has changed since our generation. Technology is such a large part of children's lives now. I think it's great that children are learning how to navigate a computer and gaining skills they need to be successful in this tech savey society. i also think it's important to balance this tyoe of sedentary indoor play with active outdoor play.
ReplyDeletePlay sure has changed since I grew up. When I grew up there were not much to do but play outside. There were not computers, X box etc. We played we ran,jumped, climbed trees and much much more just having a good old time. Now children play gaming systems,computers that keeps them inside. I agree with you all that creative play made me smarter and wiser. It gave me confidence.
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