Two quotes that I feel summarize what play represented for me in childhood.
“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.” – O. Fred Donaldson
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” - Fred Rogers
Essential play items for my younger self.
My bicycle with training wheels, my Barbie doll, my Nintendo with duck hunt game, coloring books and Spirograph to draw and color with.
The memories that I have of play in my younger years is playing outside with my friends, riding my bike, playing video games with my cousins, and coloring and drawing with my mother. I use to go play outside with my neighborhood friends, we would run, jump, play outdoor games like it and hide and go seek. Also, outside I would go bike riding with my neighborhood friends up and down the block. I used to go visit my cousins who had Nintendo and we will play duck hunt all day long. While at home I will play with my Barbie dolls, and which I loved to do my Barbie dolls hair and put new clothes on my Barbie dolls. I also loved to color and draw, especially with my mother. As a young child my mother taught me how to color in the lines and we used to color in coloring books together. Nowadays I don't see a lot of young children engaging in outdoor physical activity, and due to their environment a lot of parents aren't letting their children go out to play as a safety precaution. I also see a lot of children not enrolled in daycare or early head start programs, which can have an effect on young children socially. If the children were enrolled in such program they will be able to learn through play how to become more sociable, physical, emotional, and cognitive. Play is a very important aspect in children’s lives. Play is an action that allows young children to develop cognitively, socially, physically, emotionally, and creatively, which are the elements to a healthy development. Here below is a video about the importance of play:
Alisha,
ReplyDeleteI loved the original Nintendo I use to play that all the time when I was a kid with my parents, it was something that brought back such great memories that my fiance bought one for us to play with and we want our kids to play on it. I really did enjoy the second quote that talks about play is the real work of children. I don't think you ever know how to play as when you where a kid. I guess now that I have a Nintendo I love playing with it but I remember it being so much more fun when I was a child. How about you? Do you feel the same way?
AWWW another barbie girl. Love it. I was never good at Nintendo in fact the only game I was good at was Duck hunt.Your post brought me back...aww to be a kid again.
ReplyDeleteYes Alisha, the Nitendo with gun for the duck game was most definitely the game and although we had games like this that was rapidly becoming popular, we still knew how to go outside and play. My cousins had the Nitendo also and I didn't get one until the Nitendo 64 came out! Games like were mostly played by older cousins and the younger children when a chore or something came up for my older cousins! Much like you, I remember riding bikes, playing hide-go-seek, and running outside with other family members and neighborhood friends! Play is different in a lot of areas than when we was coming up and I really enjoyed those times so I try to give and show my children that same type of play...we were truly blessed to play like we did without the cares of what children and parents have to go through now! Don't you agree?
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