“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a
luxury. Play is a necessity”
Quoted by: Kay Redfield Jamison
“Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm
for life that is irreplaceable. Without it, life just doesn’t taste good”
Quoted by: Lucia Capocchione
Growing up for me it was my sister and me, along with my 2
male (1st) cousins. Many of the times we played it was inside with
one another. Our parents worked, while our grandparents watched over us until
our parents came home. My grandparents weren’t too excited about us going
outside to play with other children. They believed it was enough of us to play
with one another. I can remember times we made forts out of sheets, my sister
and I would play cook with our kitchen set feeding our male cousins and times
where we traveled make believe with our baby dolls in our make believe cars. We
use to have so much fun with one another. Our grandparents nor parents had to
worry about us getting into other trouble because we were busy inside playing with
one another. My grandfather encouraged us to play with one another and taught
us that we don’t need a crowd of people to have fun.
Observing the way children play today compared to when I grew
up is totally different. They are more into electronics and games instead of
old school play. For example my younger sisters are 9 and 11 and do not know
how to hula-hoop or play hop scotch. They can barely jump rope. Today’s
society is more relaxed and less interested in actual play.
I enjoyed play during my years, and I still do years later.
I understand how important play/bonding can be to a child. I encourage my
toddler to play every day. When she comes home from school I make sure that I take
at least 30 minutes of my time to play with her. Although I’m a matured adult, I
still enjoy playing. I’m a BIG KID AT HEART!
