And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your
hair messy and your eyes sparkling. –Shanti
Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a
luxury. Play is a necessity. – Kay Redfield Jamison
Here are a few essential play items for my younger self:
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| Sand toys |
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| Sprinkler |
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| Barbie |
Play, for me as a child, was constant. I played alone, with friends, and also with my older siblings. I had the freedom to play outside with my older siblings supervising me but always knew that my mom was watching and nearby in case anything should go wrong. My older siblings showed me what it meant to get dirty! Getting dirty while playing is something that I think really made me into who I am. I am never afraid to get my hands dirty or do hard work! I learned how to dig for worms, pick honeysuckles, and run through a sprinkler to cool off on scorching days! Sprinkler days were always a treat and all of us enjoyed it!
Play today seems to have taken a huge turn towards technology. While convenient and at times helpful, I do not think that technology should replace playing outdoors or even with toys. Many children that I have taught in the past many years have no desire to get dirty, play with water, or sand. While I might be happy to not have to clean up a mess in my classroom, I welcome the mess as it means that they are exploring and learning through play. I hope that as my own little one grows up that she will want to play outside and get messy. I hope that she will build in the sand and make creations in the mud.
As I continued throughout childhood, I still loved to be outside but shifted a lot of my focus to playing sports. This gave me friendship, exercise, and a sense of belonging. As an adult, I still enjoy exploring and still like to make a sand castle or two in the summer! I am definitely looking forward to playing with my little one in the sand at the beach this summer!
Robin, your baby girl is so cute and adorable. I love your play quotes. Me and my siblings use to get dirty all the time while playing. They always use to say if your're not dirty then you wasn't playing. As I got older I began to get involved in sports as well and my teammates felt like a second family to me.I think children should be allowed to go outside and play and still have time to play with technology learning toys. Your little girl will probably enjoy the beach. Hopefully she'll be able to find some seashells at the beach.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHello Robin,
I agree with you that mess means that the children are exploring and learning through play. For sure your little one will build in the sand and make creations in the mud if you give her the chance to explore and learn in the sand while she is young. Good luck.
Robin,
ReplyDeleteGetting dirty is fun when you are outside playing. Playing in the water is one of my favorites. Your baby will enjoy the water, beach and the great outdoors. I never played sports, but cheered in middle school it was okay. Play as adult is still needed.
Robin, you have such a cute little girl! I also enjoy exploring outside, going for walks in the woods; unfortunately I leave far from the woods. I have always supported my children and grand-kids in play and I really enjoy playing with them.
ReplyDeleteRobin,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your childhood experience with play. Like you my sibling and I would love to play in dirt, puddle of water, and loved, loved, looking for critters in the sand and dirt. You are right, now a day’s children spend a lot of time on electronics but it's great to hear that you let children get messy as they learn. You can always clean up messy but we cannot erase the learning experience children have with messy play. Thank you for sharing!
Angela V.