Just a little article I found which I thought was pretty special..
Dear Parents,
It’s me, Play. We have not spent much time together lately—I
miss you.
When you were a kid, we were together all the time: riding
bikes, sculpting stuff out of play dough, building moon bases out of blocks,
and squishing mud. Remember how many times you were told to quit playing with
your green beans and eat them? Remember all the times your Mom yelled “goofing
around with those toys is not going to get that pigsty-of-a-mess you call a
bedroom cleaned up!” Remember the fun we had on car trips? It was great until
the order to “stop the silliness back there!” boomed from the front seat.
Remember how that big slide burnt your legs, but you just could not stop going
down again and again? Back then, all you wanted to do was hang out with me.
Those were good times.
Anyway, I’m not writing to relive old times. I’m writing about
your kids. I don’t see them that much…they’re MIA. From what I hear, their days
are full of adult-led activities, screen time, and rushed academics.
I know you want the best. You want them to get ahead in life
and be ready for whatever it tosses their way. You’re scared that if you don’t
push them a bit they will not “be ready”. You feel there is learning to be done
and that there is not time for your old buddy, Play. You’re also under a lot of
peer pressure to do what other parents are doing. If the kid down the street is
shuttled between academic preschool, dance, karate, a traveling soccer team,
and a foreign language class you’d look like a bad parent if your kids spent
time “just playing”.
I get the Fear and the Pressure, but it’s getting a bit
intense. You’re expecting things out of your kids that are not developmentally
appropriate. You’re expecting them to do things at the age of 3 that you did
not do until the age of 5 or 6. Is it right to push kids to do things they are
not cognitively, emotionally, or physiologically ready for?
The thing is, if you want the best for your kids, I’m the
answer. It’s my job to get them ready for whatever life throws in their path,
to prepare them to thrive in an ever-changing world, to help them learn to be
creative, knowledgeable, and well-adjusted. I don’t want to brag, but I’m an
evolutionary strategy lots of creatures use to prepare for life. Puppies,
chimps, whales, elephants, tigers—the list is huge. They all use me, Play, as a
strategy for gathering information about their surroundings, sorting and
classifying objects and ideas, developing social skills, learning to
self-regulate, and so much more.
Don’t take my word for it, there is plenty of research and
anecdotal evidence showing that Playful Learning is a better choice for young
kids than computers, videos, flashcards, worksheets, and adult-led academic
settings. Check it out when you get a chance.
Right now, I’m just asking you to relax a bit. Let your kids
play and enjoy childhood. Stop rushing and pushing.
By the way, you look stressed. You could use more Play, too.
How about right now? Grab a towel, fasten it around your neck, and see if you
can still fly the way you did when you were a kid.
Hope to see your kids…and you…soon!
Click on the link below to see some beneficial skills that are developed through having a variety of play centres:
When I am playing...
Click on the link below to see some beneficial skills that are developed through having a variety of play centres:
When I am playing...
