My Connections to Play

This quote to me summarize that play is meant to be enjoyed. This is a time where a child can just play and not worry about an exact out come. As a child I played hard, from making forts in the woods in my backyard to making dirt cake and kickball or basketball with the neighborhood kids. I have only have memories of having fun even though we didn't always agree, we worked through it and continued to play.

This quote was me as a child. I always had a mess around me when I was playing. As long as I cleaned it up when I was finished my parents didn't have a problem with it. During my play, I learned how to manipulate different items to come out with an outcome that I desired. This is actually how myself, my brother and some friends came up with an idea to build a tree house in the woods next to our house.

An easy access off the tree house

Floor Plans For Tree House

One of the way to enter the tree house

For my younger self I would focus on building the tree house since that is just one of my memorable moments. These three pictures displays what would have made our tree house an bigger success. I would tell my younger self to actually have some kind of visual floor plan. I was between the age of 10- 12 so we could have put one together. I also would include the rock wall with the rope for one of the access to get into the tree house. This would be safer than trying to climb the tree on some pieces of wood. 😁 The next thing that I would tell my younger self is to add a slide to get off the tree house. Even though the way us as a child learned and stayed fit is by trial and error, we used those large and fine motor skills. It would have been nice to have it a little easier. 

When I was younger my parents supported play by actually making us go outside. Yes, my brother and myself had a game system and tv, but it was limited to how often and long we can be on it. My parents provided us with items to play with outside, and what we didn't have we needed to use our imagination and make it work. There were no running in and out the house, you came in to many times they found something for us to do, so encouraged our play greatly.

Play today is very different than when I was a child. When I was a child yes we talked in groups for a couple minutes but then after that we found something to do. Either going around the neighborhood gathering other kids to get a game of some sorts going, or even walking around in the woods, riding our  bikes or go carts, we did something. Now a days I see the children out they don't do much physical activity. When you do see them outside they are on their phone texting or playing a game. I believe my generation knew how to play better than this generation. We were more open and willing to play with any child, we didn't discriminate on the child's physical or mental disability. I also guess it depends on the type of up bringing. My generation were more respectful, so we played and interacted in that way. We were just happy to be playing.😎

My thoughts about play is this, the quote that I mentioned earlier "sorry about our mess, we are learning here" I love it. As an adult and working with children in the classroom, sometimes it can be come messy. Some of my co-workers are real neat freaks so it bothers them to see things out of place. Myself, if I can see it is a control mess, and we can have a conversation about the creativity about what that the child is building I am fine with it. Sometimes I found when a child is in this kind of play, they are manipulating the toys to come out with a specific outcome. Also if I can see that a children are expanding on their social- emotional skills.