“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning…They have to play with what they know to be true in order to find out more, and then they can use what they learn in new forms of play.” ~ Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood)
“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” ~ James L. Hymes Jr. (child development specialist, author)
Play Items:
Growing up as a child, I did not have many of the luxuries that children have today. I had cabbage dolls, Barbie’s, care bears, strawberry shortcake, and so forth. Although, many of these toys are coming back out on the market they are more advanced. When I say advanced I mean to the point that children today do not need to use their imagination to play with them. The child's imagination is already made up for them. It saddens me to think that children are not encouraged to use their imaginations and furthermore are not encouraged to play. Instead, it is easier to watch television and play video games I call these the number one babysitters of today. In today society, play is becoming underrated while technology is becoming overrated. Our society needs to be educated on the importance of play in our children's lives.
Growing up, I played candy land a lot with my younger brother Jake, and mom. Candy land was one of the ways mom taught my brother and I our shapes and colors. It was also a way to teach us how to take turns and share. As a child, I loved to draw and I still do. Crayons were a way that I could use my imagination and create my ideas on paper. Today, children use the computer to create designs. I got my creative side from my mother because she loves to draw. Watching her draw really inspired me to do it. The final thing that I played with a lot was dress up clothes. I had an old wooden toy chest that I kept all of my dress up clothes in. Playing dress up I could be whoever or whatever I wanted to be. The person I wanted to be the most was my mom because I usually wore her stuff around the house. I was also encouraged to play outside a lot when I was a child. Mom did not want us to watch a lot of television so she made sure we had things to do outside.
When I look back on things today as an adult, I see how important the role of play for me was. I am a very creative person and I love to draw still just as I did when I was a child. If I did not have my mother encouraging I to draw and read I probably would not be doing that today. I can remember role playing teacher and students with my two brothers. I became a teacher because I believe in the healthy development of children's imaginations and one way to do that is through play. The power of play is an important of children's lives.
