My Connections to Play

Play used to be fun and enjoyable. One vivid thing I  remember was that we rarely played inside the house. We always played outside running around with friends, played with sand, did pretend cooking with grass and sand. Hide and seek was one of my delights. We went to the beach almost every weekend where I had the opportunity to taste the salty water and walked bare footed feeling the different sand texture. Play was a part of my everyday life, I was asked not to play only if I misbehaved or had some tests to do at school. I had very few toys compared to what any child in the 21st century would have.
Sincerely, I think we were allowed such an amount of play because our parents and older siblings saw us as disturbances at home, so for this reason the door was always opened for us to go play. I don't think our parents knew of any benefits of play. But thanks to instinct!

I was very shy as a kid but I remember I never used to be shy when I played with my friends, probably the 'plays' I had then made me overcome shyness. Through play, I was able to listen and learn of some African folk tales.  But today, children mostly play indoors with lots of toys and technological gadgets. Due to the security situation, children no more have the freedom to play in the neighbourhood. Staying indoors always will prevent children from having a feel of nature. The amount of play I had as a child help me relate well with people because I was able to socialize while I played.

I hope to be an advocate in this area and sincerely wish that the old era of play be restored.



The following quotes summarize my 'play life' as a kid:

''You can't stop the future,
You can't rewind the past,
The only way to learn the secret is to press play''. Jah Asher

''Combinatory play seems to be the essential feature in productive thought''.  Albert Einstein

''Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning''. Mr. Rogers

''The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct''. Carl Jung

''Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of children.'' Fred Rogers

''Do not keep children to their studies by compulsion but by play.'' Plato

 

 

As a kid, I enjoyed pretend play