Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.
-Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author
The activities that are the easiest, cheapest, and most fun to do – such as singing, playing games, reading, storytelling, and just talking and listening – are also the best for child development.”
~ Jerome Singer (professor, Yale University)
Photos of things representative of my play
There was an apple tree in my backyard. I spent a lot of time climbing the tree and sitting in the branches on warm summer days.
One of the places where I spent many hours playing was in a playhouse in my backyard. Unfortunately, I could not find a photo of it so had to settle for this one, which does not do justice to the one I remember. My playhouse was larger and had windows on either side that opened by swinging out. By climbing out of the house through the windows, you could climb onto the roof. This allowed for a totally different kind of play. We spent almost as much time on the roof as we did inside the playhouse.
My parents always provided many opportunities for play.
I grew up in a neighborhood filled with many other children my age and I was the oldest of 5 so there was always someone to play with. My parents always provided many opportunities for play. While I did have some household chores that needed to be done before playing, there was always plenty of time for play. During the summer, I was outdoors from early morning until it was dark. My parents provided a limited number of mostly open-ended toys for use indoors such as puzzles, building toys, dolls and games. I did have a bike, but most outdoors toys were “found” items. Limitations were made clear but there was almost no adult supervision or involvement. My parents were never involved in playing with me other than playing board games. Play was a major influence on my childhood, my life and how I view play.
Play today is very different from the kind of play I enjoyed as a child. Many children no longer play outdoors for a number of reasons. Many children are also involved in after school activities or are in extended care after school leaving little time for play. The widespread use of computers, electronics and television, by even very young children, has a negative impact on play. When growing up, there were no electronic gadgets and watching television was limited in my family. I never remember being bored. We always found something to play. It has been my experience that some children no longer know how to play or entertain themselves and are easily bored. It seems unlikely that children today could experience the type of play that I enjoyed. One of the things that I consider to be of great concern for children today is the lack of exposure to nature and the very limited opportunities for them to explore and discover the natural world.
While play was important when I was a child, it is something that for the most part has been limited to that time period. Play is something that I rarely engaged in as a teen and even less so as an adult. There was the occasional badminton game or the playing of a card or board game at family gatherings, but I generally do not have the patience for this. When I have free time, I prefer to spend it reading or gardening rather than playing. I did consider play to be very important for my own children as they were growing up and did what I could to encourage play both indoors and outdoors. Few children in the neighborhood, safety concerns and an interest in playing organized sports did impact the type and amount of play my children engaged in.
