The role of play in my childhood.
I
was extremely fortunate to have grown up in Canada in a neighborhood that was
safe and where adults trusted their children to out and about all day. There was
not much traffic and a wonderful forest right near our house that led to a
great big hill that we spent hours riding down with our bikes in the summer and
sliding down in the winter. My parents supported my brother`s and my play by
developing our love for nature and sports especially in the outdoors, also by providing
us with equipment to explore our surroundings (bike, roller blades) and by
trusting us to go out and be home in time for lunch/dinner. We were out in the forest playing in trees,
making tents, rolling down hills, etc. Nature was ours and there for our daily
fun. When we were indoors we loved building and creating things with things we
would find around the house. Commercial toys were never our favorites. We loved
rocks, leaves, different materials, etc.
Play
has always been an important part of my life as a child, as a mother and an educator.
I have always loved playing with things such as fabrics, twigs and anything
that I could put my hands on to actually turn them into what I imagine them to
be. Open ended materials are a blessing for a child`s imagination. I loved
making secret hideaways and to make my own clothes. I am very thankful for
having such a supportive mom that has always let us use our imagination no
matter how crazy it looked or how much of a mess we madeJ
The difference
between play and play in which I engaged as a child.
I
feel that play is very different nowadays in my case as in many others. My
family and I live in a big city and the only way I can let my kids out to play
is by taking them to a park. Thank goodness for us we can walk there and enjoy
nature. However due to traffic and other issues I am not able to just let my
children go out and play all day. We encourage outdoor play and make sure our
kids are our playing for hours every day. I just hope all children are
surrounded by adults that can appreciate free play and can provide their
children with hours of free play every day. It is the key to healthy
development and a stress free lifeJ
Another
worrying issue is that of commercial toys such as Barbies and collectable dolls.
I feel that there is so much pressure from TV and from other children to have
certain toys. My daughter does not even watch much TV (half and hour on
week-ends) but when she goes to school girls are talking about Monster High and
other My Pet Shop and because they want to fit in they all want to have them.
There is not much imagination that needs to be put into a toy that is already
dressed and is already wearing make-up, not to mention the values that these
little girls are learning about beauty and being a girl. It is hard growing up
in today`s world…
