Some of my Favorite Childhood Games
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| Pick up Sticks |
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| Hop Scotch |
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| Jump Rope |
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| Marbles |
As I reflected on childhood play, I'm reminded of how I loved to play outside. My aunt would always tell my siblings and I, "Yall go outside and play," because she didn't want us lounging watching TV, or sitting around listening to adult conversation.The outdoors was a playground of adventures for me and my siblings.We didn't have many store bought toys, so we would make toys and create game on our own.We would go into the woods and build forts with tree branches and leaves, make mud pies, make stick horses pretending we were cowboys and Indians, and climb trees. Some of my favorite games were jump rope, marbles, hop scotch, and pick up sticks. I think I enjoyed childhood play so much that it became one of the reasons I chose early childhood education.Similar to my childhood play, young children are still unique, creative, fun, and courageous when playing. They use their mind to turn the simplest materials into wonderful learning tools such as, turning a empty box into a house or car; however, their is a big difference in today's idea of play. Some schools view play as a waste of time, parents replace play with expensive gadgets such as tablets, computers, I pads, and some 3 year old children even have cell phones. They don't want children to play outside because they might get their clothes dirty. My hopes are that parents and educators allow children to be children meaning a child's play is his/her work, and they work very hard to conquer play. Looking at the world through a child's eyes keep even the oldest person feeling forever young at heart.
Playing outside was not an issue for me either. I remember going from house to house just to take a break, then we would get put out. That didn't bother us a bit. They would also tell us to stay in or stay out. We would look at each other and leave. No one wanted to be told to stay in the house. I rarely see kids playing outside now and if they are outside, they are on their cell phones in the shade. Seems a little scary to think about how the world has changed and how much our children have missed out. But children don't know what they have missed if they've never done it before.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I really loved playing hop scotch and jumping rope with my friends. Most of my younger days were spent outside playing. I can hear my mom saying the same thing about going outside to play. In today's society technology has changed the role of play. Most child spend a lot of time inside being glued to the tv, playing video games or watching tv. I must say one of the reasons why I enjoy teaching is because I am a BIG kid at heart. Thanks for sharing Dorothy
ReplyDeleteDorthy,
ReplyDeleteI truly enjoyed reading your post. I remember playing outside in the summer all day. Our parents fed us breakfast, we did our chores and we went outside. We had snacks, something to drink and we played. It was okay to get dirty. Children of today are soetimes looked at as being label children. They wear name brand clothes and their parents do not want them to get dirty. This hinders them from being a normal child and it sometimes tie our hands because we are making sure they do not mess up their clothes instead of letting them play like normal children. I really enjoyed reading your blog.