My Connections to Play

"Children do not play for a reward-praise, money, or food. They play because they like it."  Francis Wardle, Ph.D.

“Play is children’s work.”  Miquela Rivera

I was a very imaginative child growing up. My twin sister (Kat) and I were very shy, and pretty much inseparable, and though we had friends, our preference was to play just the two of us until we reached grade school. Though we preferred our own company, Mom ensured that we played with neighborhood kids as well, and when we started school, my parents insisted we be in different classes, so we could make our own friends and not become too dependent on each other. Both my parents were always very supportive of my imaginative play. I still remember Dad bringing home large cardboard boxes from the jobsites, and Mom would help Kat and I build blanket and pillow forts. Using cardboard boxes and forts, Kat and I pretended we were different types of dinosaurs and wild animals. In the process of these interests, we learned much about animals, as this led to watching the discovery channel. Kat and I spent a lot of time playing outside, finding snakes and bugs to put in Mom’s canning jars, and chasing each other with sticks of slime from the swampy forest behind the house (hence the picture of algae). Dad made us wooden toolboxes so we could “build” stuff with him down in his shop. Through my pretend play, I experimented with creating things from Legos or blocks and practiced using tools (no power tools until I was in about the 4th, and only with supervision). In place of Saturday morning cartoons, I watched “This Old House” and “New Yankee Workshop” with my dad, as well as quite possibly every documentary created about the building of the Grand Coulee and Hoover Dams. T.V. did not take up a lot of my playtime, as Mom believed we should be outside playing. Or inside playing. Really, just anywhere but in front of the T.V.

Because of my experiences in play, I feel a deep sadness about many of the children I see at the school I work at. Where I was fortunate enough to live “in the sticks” while growing up (and have every intention of my future children doing the same), where there were trees to climb, bugs to catch, and slimy green algae to chase other kids with, many kids today do not have opportunities to play in the great outdoors. I see children’s pretend play centers around video games they play, instead of out of their own imagination. My staff and I work hard to incorporate items into the choice time area that push towards imagination, requiring students to build and create- and they love it! I feel that children today still have the same need for play that I did when I was a child, however their options are often very different. This may be because I work in a school that is in the middle of a city, as opposed to my childhood school that was in a rural area. Regardless of community, there is still a lot more technology available to children, and it has an impact on their play. While technology is not a bad thing, it must be allowed in moderation, so children still just play.

Play is an important learning tool for children. Through play, children enjoy experimenting, discovering, and imagining. Play is the foundation for many skills and characteristics to evolve that will last a lifetime: intrinsic motivation to learn, social skills to build relationships and work with others, and discover new interests passions.