"My Connections to Play"

Quotes:           

“In childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking gout. In memories of childhood, we press our nose to the pane, looking in.”                     Robert Brault

  “In play it is as though the child were trying to jump above the head of his normal behavior.”

                                                                                    Lev Vygotsky

 

During my childhood, I remember getting things that my older siblings were tired of playing with. I was the nineth of ten children and we had to share. I did get a few things for myself. But those things were gottin during the christmas holiday. It wasn’t like now, where children are getting toys all year long. One child got a ball and the hole block playing football. My favorite pastime was watching my older brother do his math homework. I wanted to be smart like him. The pictures above represent a few of the toys I had as a child. As a child, my mother would tell us that all we had was each other. And as a child my life was centered around my older siblings. My grandmother took extra pain with me, she would make sure that I got things that I needed, not so much of what I wanted. My older sister had the gift of making sure everyone new how to spell their names. She would sing it to us in the form of a game, and that’s how I learned to spell my name. In the old days children played with children and stayed out of grown folks business. Now, children repeat everything they see and hear.

The role of play is very important to me as a parent and grandparent. I understand how children learn through play, and I can see how parents and teachers are merely facilitators. As I watch my grandchildren play, building houses with cover,  having tea and cookies, playing with each other with nintendo (connecting) the games so that they can compete, I can see learning taking place, and how even the youger one desires to win. They have a competetive spirit. I can see how they love to play on the computer, looking for games. Even though they can’t read word for word, they learn how to picture read, and navagate the computer. As an educator, I feel that play is a vital part of the young child’s like and that policy makes, politicians, and child advocates should fight for the right to keep play alive.

I agree with Piaget in his stating that “children don’t acquire knowledge by taking in information, but though a slow continuous process of construction”(Gestwicki, C. 2007, pg 40).

I also read that children are like engineers, they love to build things up and tear them down again, and that process is through play. I believe that children should continue to be given opportunities to be creative and express their thoughts, emotions, and desires through play.

Allowing children to explore the environment and develop a feel of what right and wrong, helps them develop a sense of self. I feel that children need play to develop and understand emotions, socialization, language, physical development, as well as cogntive growth.

References:

Gestwicki, C., (2007). Developmentally Appropriate Practice (3rd Edition).Thomson Delmar Learning, New York