My Connections to Play

Me playing outside, 1991

“A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.” -Bill Vaughn 

“Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn't music.” -William Stafford

Growing up, my siblings were my playmates and we were outside playing constantly, rain or shine. We did not have many material toys but we played with everything-rocks, shells, flowers, leaves-anything we could get our hands on. We imagined everything, we could be on a boat, in another country, escaping from somewhere…the possibilities were endless! We used our imaginations and everything became a toy but I think one of the essential play items was dirt. It sounds strange, but that was what my siblings and I played with the most. We could build mountains, cook soups, throw it, garden…we were always playing with dirt!

Me playing in the dirt, 1989

 When I wasn’t playing with my siblings, or when we were playing inside, I was playing with my stuffed rabbit, Yellow Bunny. I could imagine anything with my Yellow Bunny, he could be a baby or a friend; he could talk and go on adventures with me. Yellow Bunny was my constant companion and essential play object- he could even turn a long trip in the car into an adventure because we could play anything!

My sister and playing dress-up
with Yellow Bunny, 1991

My parents were very supportive of our play. My mom was always encouraging us to go play outside and gave us scraps of cloth for our doll’s blankets or old buttons for our treasures. She would help us think of ideas and adventures to go on and never laughed at our games, even though looking back now, some of them were pretty silly!

I think play has started to change from the time I was young. Today it seems that more and more children are playing inside and not using their imaginations as much, on the computer or with video games- or not even engaging in play at all and instead watching TV. Play is not really encouraged in school anymore with the stress on academic achievements, standards, and accountability so I think that true play and its importance is being lost on the future generations. I always try to encourage my students to play, but I can only do so much when they are tempted by a shiny electronic at home and not encouraged to imagine. Hopefully some of the play skills they learn with me will become ingrained and they will develop a love for play that they can carry on and share! I also hope to pass on my love of play to my son. He too loves the outdoors and playing with rocks and sticks. At 14 months, he has so much to learn about the world; he does not have many material toys either but I encourage him to play with things around the house…right now his favorite “toys” are the potatoes in the cupboard-he could play with these forever!

My son playing, 2010

Hopefully the importance of play is recognized, both in the classroom and at home. Play helps foster healthy development in so many ways and can lead to academic success as well. The benefits of play are not just found in early childhood, they carry on through adulthood as well!