My Connections to Play

 

Two Selected quotes:-

“Play is our favorite way of learning”-Diane Ackerman

“What one loves in childhood stays in the heart forever”-Mary Jo Putney

Play is one of the main ways in which children learn and develop. It helps build self-worth by giving a child a sense of their abilities and feeling good about themselves. Because it’s fun, children often become very absorbed in what they are doing. Play helps to nurture imagination and give a child a sense of adventure. Through this, they learn essential skills such as problem-solving, working with others, and sharing.

As a child, I was encouraged to explore outdoor play by my parents and the community; it was the norm for a child to go outdoors and play because it is incredibly beneficial and crucial for our development. Playing with others allows us to learn the culture.

Growing up, we spent most of our time playing outside the house. Technology was not an ever-present part of our daily lives. As kids, we engaged in so many activities like the interactive play called “Ten Ten,” and at night, no watching of TV gathered around the adults to listen to folklores that wild our imagination—engaging in such activities shapes how we interact socially and emotionally.

As they are called today, the Z generation is growing up enmeshed in technology; they spend a lot of time in the technology space.

Technology is an ever-present part of our daily lives, and the amount of time children spend interacting with digital devices is only increasing as we feel the need to stay connected. Many of these children are being raised in an environment where parents and family members live an increasingly hurried and pressured style that limits the protective benefits they would obtain from child-driven play.

I hope that we as parents and teachers realize the priceless play is to a child’s healthy development. As child advocates, we must consider all factors that interfere with optimal development and press for circumstances that allow each child to reap the benefits linked with playfulness.

The role of play in my life has been invaluable, and its impact is unquantifiable. As a child, playing with peers allowed me to use my creativity while developing my imagination, skill, physical, cognitive, and emotional health. Through play as a child, I engaged and interacted in the world around me. My childhood play took me through cultural norms that shaped my outlook of the people and the around me. Now, as an Early childhood professional, I interact with my children and encourage them to try new experiences and reap the advantages associated with play.

References

Impact of technology on kids today (and tomorrow).

https://www.wgu.edu/blog/impact-technology-kids-today-tomorrow1910.html

Why play matters

https://www.familylives.org.uk/advice/early-years-development/learning-and-play/why-play-matters/#:~:text=Play%20is%20very%20important%20to,through%20the%20power%20of%20play.&text=Play%20helps%20to%20nurture%20imagination,child%20a%20sense%20of%20adventure.

The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/1/182