Play Quotes
Play Items
How was play supported?
My mother ensured that I had plenty of items to play with. However, growing up as an only child play was hard to come across. Although I had plenty of toys to play with and opportunities to go outside and play, the amount of time spent playing was somewhat limited as no child wants to play alone. Play took place at school for me. My kindergarten teacher supported play for us by ensuring that there was a time in our day to have free play/ not including recess.
The differences in play.
Play looks very different today than it did when I was a child. Growing up we played outside until the street lights came on, we spent hours setting up barbie mansions and acting out life as our dolls. We pretended to be moms with our baby dolls. We really got deep in our imaginations and played whatever was worth playing. I believe that now it is all about technology. Rather than playing barbies, children sit for hours and watch other children play. It's quite interesting. Rather than getting dirty and playing in the sandbox children watch other children play in the sandbox. Rather than getting involved in the play they seek entertainment through a spectators point of view.
Play and my adult life.
Honestly, I don't think I played enough as a child and as a result, as an adult, I take life too seriously. I can be very uptight and rigid. I stick to a schedule and only in down times do I let myself play. That is very similar to my childhood. As a child, I had to be very responsible and although I had to tools I didn't necessarily have anyone to play with I only played when I had someone to play with. I wish play groups had been a big thing when I was growing up. I think I would now be able to let my hair down and relax a bit if they had.
Hey Haleema! Great post! I, very much like you, had to play alone as a child. I lived in a rural area where my childhood friends were not close enough to play with on a daily basis or on weekends. So I had to learn to play by myself. I wouldn't say I didn't have enough play opportunities, I would just say I got too used to playing by myself which is why today I can take or leave social time.
ReplyDeleteHaleema,
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I played by myself, too, and today, I have a hard time slowing down and setting aside time to just have fun. This weekend I actually got away and joined my sister and a group of her close friends in Florida to celebrate her 50th birthday. It took awhile for me to let down my guard and just relax, but when I finally did, I had fun just laughing and being me. We chilled by the ocean during the day and played card games at night until midnight. It's easier to have fun and play in the classroom than it is when juggling everyday responsibilities. This weekend was a good reminder that I need to stop to have fun and play every now and then.
Wishing you well,
Donna
Haleema,
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog! You mentioned that you didn't play as much as a child and you connected it with how you are today. I never looked back a made that connection for myself until now. I tend to view teachers in the manner in which we tell them to view children. We ask teachers to view each child independently and see them for the learners they are. We are asked to meet children at their level and plan lesson accordingly. I take this into consideration when I plan trainings for teachers, to make it fun and engaging, to view who my teachers are when considering how they prefer to intake information.
I feel I do this because my father always created learning play activities based on how my sister and I would enjoy playing. Also it depended on the grade we were in.
Interesting, Thank you for sharing!
Hey
ReplyDeleteWow I see that after reading your post and comments that alot of people played alone and used their time to play as a way to escape reality. That is truth for many people and its even easier to do nowadays because of the phone taking the time allotted for face to face interconnections. Making the teachers do an activity is a wonderful idea. I enjoyed your post thanks!