My Connections to Play

"A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm."  ~Bill Vaughan

"You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What!  Is it nothing to be happy?  Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long?  Never in his life will he be so busy again."  ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

Play is an essential part of childhood. Growing up I was pushed to go outside and interact with other children. You would see children every where. A child could turn anything into a toy. You never had to have the newest or most expensive anything, you were just happy to be outside playing. One toy that I loved as a child was a teddy bear my daddy gave me. My father brought him home in Army fatigues like the ones he wore. The bear went everywhere with me. It was a prized possession. My other prized position is a sock doll my grandmother made me. I still have her and my grandmother made me a new one as I got older. She hand made the dolls, the dresses, the socks, and shoes. I didn't know it then, but I know now how much love went into the doll.

  (These are my sock dolls)

The children of today don't do outside anymore. You always see children inside playing video games. Parents don't push there children to go outside and play. The reason I believe all children are inside is the safety of the neighborhoods. So often you hear of children being innocent bystanders when adults are doing wrong. To help the children learn about when I was younger, I try to teach the children hand games and other games that I played when I was young. I love the idea of play. I thank my family for forcing me out to play. I make sure my child has the opportunities I had. I let him go out and play as much as I can. He doesn't go outside without me, but I still want him to play. I hope parents realize children need to run and have fun. Parents need to realize "play contribites to cognitive growth, aids social and emotional development, and is essential to physical development. Many of the abilities required to succed in school settings are gained through play experiences." (Brewer, 2004)

Refernces
Brewer, J.A. (2004) Introduction to Early Childhood Education: Preschool through Primary Grades. Person: New York, New York.