My Connections to Play



Toys I grew up playing with:


Barbie Porsche



My Buddy and Kid Sister Doll



Quotes on Play:

"What we play is life." (Louis Armstrong).

*I believe that play is a manifestation of the things/events an individual  has seen in life and play is also made-up of any future endeavours that may come in life. Hence, for small child play is life and life is play. 

"Whoever wants to understand much must play much." (Gottfried Benn).

*I feel that this quote is most beneficial for the caregivers, adults and educators in the lives of children. I have always felt that if you want to know more about a child, get down to their level and play with them, be apart of their world!

Quotes derived from: http://quote.robertgenn.com/getquotes.php?catid=230

How play was supported in my childhood/role of play throughout my life/compare & contrast of play today and of when I was a child:

As a child, I had numerous opportunities to play. My parents allowed time for my sister and I to be creative and explore the world as we know it through play. However, my parents did create a strong structured, educational environment for us. Although, play is an essential area in which children in the early childhood stage develop, I believe that, adults, teachers, caregivers and parents must set: goals, expectations and boundaries in which children are allowed to play. I strongly believe that children are very much, "child-like", therefore, they need adults, someone who is mature and wiser than themselves to ensure that their environment is filled with security, safety and knowledge. The BIBLE also teaches us, "there's a time for everything under the sun..."(Ecclesiastes 3), children should no doubt have ample time for "free play" but play should also be correlated to development and learning! Play and learning should be one SOLID ENTITY!!

I feel that presently, play has taken on a different meaning. When I was a child, play was encouraged but structured with learning, security and reason. Play, as we now know it has taken on a different form, I believe that children are required to make decisions that are developmentally inappropriate for them to make. The children I teach, everyday, come from homes with LITTLE to NO STRUCTURE, when they come to school, they YEARN for that structure. We ask children, "what do you want to do today?" or "what DON'T you want to do today?". Decisions regarding a child's life should be made by a stable adult. Play is absolutely necessary in a child's life but it takes an experienced, discerning adult to guaranty this play is undoubtedly secure and meaningful.