“The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.”
Plato
Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.
Kay Redfield Jamison
When I was little I was encouraged to play all the time and was certainly provided a number of toys. However, some of my fondest memories of play were educational ones now that I look back. Reading with Teddy Ruxpin was one of my favorite things to do along with playing school. I also enjoyed playing grocery store with my grandmother and using her calculator as my register.
Play today in my opinion offers the same learning benefit, however today children are not given the opportunity to play freely. It seems like many children are always on the go and there is not enough time for free play, which is where one gets to use their imagination and express their creativity. I hope children are able to experience free play opportunities and that they are not always playing on video games or on the computer because it keeps them quiet. The more play a child is able to participate in the more experiences they handle and learn from.
Play in my life was a wonderful experience. I was able to express my creativity and use my imagination in a number of different play ideas, with and without others. I feel that play helped me in all developmental areas as I was growing up. Play truly is beneficial and I only hope that I can encourage the children and their families that I work with about the importance of play.
I enjoyed reading your post about the value of play. The second quote you selected to post is very true. The way thing are presently... it seems like play is really a luxury for children. It is not suppose to be that way. I am so excited about this week resources on play. Let us keep encouraging the families we work with about the importance of play.
ReplyDeleteI absolute love your quote from Kay Redfield Jamison "Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity." Wow, that just hit the nail on the head! I love it, and thank you for sharing!
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ReplyDeleteYour second quote is meaningful. Play is a necessity as it is much needed so that educators and families can see what is going on in the mind of children. Most children can re-enact what is being learned based on the things and people in their surroundings. We can learn a lot from children just by observing the type of play they engage in. Play also allows free expression and children can express how they are feeling at that particular time.
ReplyDeleteYour post about your childhood experience was very important in your life. I am happy to hear that you were able to use your imagination and creativity. I feel that children now do not know about imagination and using their creativity because the internet and video games do not require that you use these skills while playing. I on the other hand feel that creativity is very important in the life of a child.
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