Play gives children a chance to practice what they are
learning. Fred Rogers
Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a
luxury. Play is a necessity. Kay R. Jamison
My Thoughts About Play
As a child growing up in Chicago my sister, brother and I
loved to play. As a matter of fact play
was such an important part of our day that our parents didn’t have to tell us
to go outside. We pretend play with our
dolls and kitchen set. Made a band with
our musical instruments, cooked with our easy bake oven, jumped rope and played
hop scotch. My parents supported play because at that time
that’s all we had was “old fashion play”.
This was play that was unplanned and fun every day because we didn’t have
social media and all the electronics children have today. Play today is different because children are
really not engaging on a personal level.
Play today is playing a video game online or playing a board game on the
internet. Play when I was growing up
allowed me to interact with my siblings and friends in a way that children
today probably would never experience.
We were allowed to play outside without all the violence and negative exposure
children are exposed today. We played
with other children in our communities without fear because we basically knew everyone. I
value and appreciate the play time I experience as a child and I now find
myself trying to provide those same fun experience with my children and all
children I come in contact with.
Essential Play Items For Me Growing Up
Twanda I enjoyed reading your blog post this week great pictures. Twanda things have change so much since we were children coming up. Our parents never had to tell his to go outside and play it was a must in my parent home. Today children are not force to go outside and play I notice this daily in my classroom with several of my students. I have several in my class that hate to go outside and play because during outside playtime they never play. They always say to me that they do not have to go outside and play at home.
ReplyDeleteHey Tawanda, you will appreciate that my group of friends (all of us in our 40's and 50's) have an Easy Bake oven that we share. We try to outdo one another by making amazing cakes in it. Really, all it is is a light bulb in a plastic box but we still love it. Thanks for your blogpost this week and for the great memories.
ReplyDeleteTawanda, your post brought back fond memories of my easy bake oven. Those were the best cakes ever. I wish I could allow my children to play like we used to without the fears and hesitations. However, this is a new era and I feel I must take extra precautions. Especially where we live. Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteTawanda,
ReplyDeletePlay is truly a necessity! I had forgotten all about the easy bake ovens! I never had one, but I always wished that I did. However, I don't think that I ever asked my parents for one. I enjoyed palying as a child. I don't think that the children today get to experience the kind of play that we did as children. I hate that for them! Thanks for sharing!
Amber
Tawanda
ReplyDeleteThis do remind me of the time that we could enjoy playing because it was fun and was the time that we could just go and visit other children. You are correct that children today do not understand this type of activity because of fear and because they want to play the video games or game system. I know that parent think that keeping that children safety by not letting them go outside and in some case it is but I think there should be time for them to play and this will strengthen them empower them. I am in the south and child still go outside and play. The only think is they play in the streets and cars come up and down the street all the time. Some of the street has speed bump to slow cars down but some do not. This does give them the enjoyment of play and growing because they are on the corner running football play and playing tough football.