~~~~~My Connections to Play~~~~~~

I'd like to share a couple of quotes that resonated with me as a child about play.

"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct."

Carl Jung
Swiss psychoanalyst
1875–1961

"Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child."

Joan Almon
Contemporary American educator

My mother supported me in play by buying me toys that I was interested it. I loved the Barbie doll collection and had many dolls from the Barbie family. I would play for hours with my Barbies, sometimes alone, and sometimes with neighborhood friends. My mother would also bribe me to get my hair cut by buying me a new Barbie doll. She always wanted my hair very short, cut like a boy would wear it. I wanted it long, but I also loved getting new Barbie dolls. As a result, I had very short hair until the age of about ten. My sister was instrumental in me acquiring a love for reading and she bought me many books and she took the time to read to me. She is a generation older than me and I would spend the weekends at her apartment with her sometimes, and I have memories of us reading together. My father put a swing set in our back yard as well as a small children's swimming pool, so he was instrumental in me getting some physical activity.

Play has changed from when I was a child compared to how it is for my children. I even see a difference between my children since there is eleven years age difference. When I was young we didn't have all the electronics to entice us that children have today. We had a black and white television and a rotary phone. We never talked on the phone for pleasure; only out of necessity. My friends and I played dolls, colored in coloring books, played jump rope and ball. We went to the neighbor's house and asked if we could pick their dandilions for one cent each, thus ridding their yard of the menace and making money at the same time. We rode trikes and bikes and played with hoola hoops. My oldest daughter, who is now twenty-six, played outside at the park a lot and took a variety of formal lessons in various sports and arts. Pogs, books and Disney movies were a big part of her growing up. In her teenage years a computer and the family phone were two of her best friends. My younger daughter is fourteen and a lot of time is dedicated to academics for her to help keep her at grade level. As a young teen she likes to hang with her friends at the mall, play on her phone and the computer. Television is an addiction that we have to monitor. She has had several different types of lessons, but none of them have captured her interest yet. Neither of my girls liked dolls and I had to mourn that a bit because I so looked forward to playing dolls with my daughters!

My hope for children regarding play these days is for there to be more physical activity than so many children get on a regular basis. Also, less structure and  fewer formal lessons so there is time for more open ended, creative play. I think to live a healthy, well rounded life, play has to be an important part of it for children as well as adults. It is vital that people take time to play and get away from the daily grind. It helps keep a person both physically and mentally healthier and allows for creativity and flow.