“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” ~ Anonymous
“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.” ~ Joseph Chilton Pearce (author)
“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.” ~ Leo Buscaglia (author, educator)
When I was smaller my play was supported because my mother and mostly my grandmothers would sit and pretend with me. My grandmothers bought me all kinds of dolls and toys that made it easy to pretend. I would go to my nanny’s house and we would pretend to play grocery store and we would pretend to cook. I would even go out with my grandpa and work in the shop. I had my own handy man apron. I was always in encouraged to be creative. I loved to draw and create new things. I was even nicknamed "Doodle" because I spent so much time doodling. All of the people in my life encouraged me to pretend and experiment. I was supported because I had adults that modeled for me what it looked like to be a handy man. I knew what to do at the grocery store from watching my mother and practicing what I saw with my nanny. Through acting out these experiences I was able to become confident enough to help and create my own scenarios.
My favorite things to play with when I was a child were crayons, markers, paint, my dolls, and I loved to ride my bike.
I believe that play has shifted a little bit from a traditional role of tactile discovery to a more technological role. Children spend a large majority of their day looking at a screen. Now this might not be in school but out of school that is the truth. When I was small we played with anything we could get our hands on and it was almost always outside. Children rode their bikes all over the town and we got dirty. Now children spend most of their time inside. I think that the role of play is very important to the success of our children. My hope is that people in the highest positions can learn to understand how important play is for the development of play.
I think that play plays a huge role in our lives from childhood to adulthood. We learn to test our boundaries and be brave through play. We learn to discover through play. Without that foundation of trial and error, discovery and disappointment we can’t grow and learn to the fullest of our potential. The role of play is so important in helping us to formulate who we are and what we think is meaningful and important. I really don’t think that we ever stop playing and if we do I think that we become very unhappy and unsatisfied people.
