My Connections to Play
Quotes that represented my childhood
When I was a
child outside was my life! I would rush home, do my homework and chores and get
out of the house as fast as I could. Why? Because I had a clock to beat..it was
called the "street lights" clock. Every house, every Mom had that
rule, "you better be home before the street lights come on!" Riding
my bike with friends, swimming, playing on the playground, climbing trees, skating,
playing dodge ball, volleyball and having China berry fights were all part of
the wonderful childhood I had growing up. Sure, we had video games (Atari
and whatever else was out back then) but we preferred to be outside and that
was fine by me. All the
neighborhood kids would join in the fun and I loved to swim!!
All the
neighborhood kids would join in the fun and I loved to swim!!
Play is quite different than
when I was a kid. Nowadays, kids stay indoors inundated with technology and the
most exercised body part (s) are their thumbs and fingers. Even in the
schools, we had recess where, after lunch, we would go outside for what seemed
to be at least 30 minutes and were allowed unstructured but supervised play.
Today, kids must "earn" recess and it is used as a punishment
tool. Also, many don't get it a all because everything is so academically
structured. The reality is that All children Need play in order to learn. The sooner we learn that the better our children will be.
Beautiful blog Dianna! Play is so important for the growth and development of children. Sadly play is so limited for children. I can relate, I stayed outside and played until the street lights came on. I enjoyed playing with tadpoles and light bugs. Everyday at school, I could not wait to go outside and see my friends. I am seeing a growing trend of children earning recess. It saddens me that something so important is used as a form of punishment. Lets continue to advocate for play.
ReplyDeleteDianna,
ReplyDeleteI echo many of your thoughts regarding outside play! We lived by the street lights rule! It taught us more skills than any bit of technology could. I feel the same way about recess being used as a punishment, and remain frustrated when teachers are annoyed with behaviors but not giving any outdoor or gross motor time to their students. Great post!
Kate
Hello Dianna!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved your blog post as it reminded me of my love for the water that I still have to this day!! My brother and I used to love when the summer would finally come because we new our parents were preparing to take us on our yearly vacation...which meant tons of WATERWORKS!!!! As far as outside play, we were never really 'neighborhood children' in my town. But I did have awesome playmates I my family!! Great post Dianna!!
Dianna,
ReplyDeleteI agreed, play is quite different from when I was a child too. We were not inundated with technology to a point where it became our companion. Instead, we had all the neighborhood children. Outdoors was our classroom where we learn about imagination, learn about socializing with our peers and where we learn how to have fun. We played until we were tired. Play not only stimulated our minds, but play ensured our physical development---exercising all of our body parts. It is sad to hear that schools are using recess as a punishment tool. I heard about schools merging children’s lunch periods with recess. In either case, it is sad.
I always enjoyed your post.
Christiana