My Connections to Play

Quotes about Play

“Culture arises and unfolds in and as play”.

Johan Huizinga
Dutch historian

“Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities”.

Stuart Brown, MD
Contemporary American psychiatrist

“Play is our brain's favorite way of learning”.

Diane Ackerman
Contemporary American author

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning”.

Fred Rogers
American television personality

BENEFITS OF PLAY

1. Play enables children to find out about themselves and the world. It allows them to:

 

A discover
B experiment
C create
D concentrate
E express ideas
F develop speech
G develop muscles
H invent
I · learn new skills
J· learn how other people behave
K role-play (pretend to be someone else)
L· share possessions
M use the imagination
·N co-operate with others
O show off (children like to let others know what they can do)
P act protectively towards someone less powerful than themselves.

   

2. Play helps towards happiness. A child who is absorbed in play is likely to be a happy child, as play produces feelings of satisfaction and achievement. 

3. Play helps prevent boredom. Preventing a child from being bored is very important, as boredom can quickly lead to bad temper, irritability and destructiveness.
4. Play can help reduce stress. The acting out of stressful situations can help them to seem more familiar and therefore less frightening. For example, by playing 'schools' a child becomes familiar with the idea of going to school.  This will help to reduce any nervousness about school which the child might have. In the same way. playing 'doctors and nurses' can help prepare a child for a stay in hospital. 
5. Play can help divert aggressive instincts. Using a hammer to nail pieces of wood together to make a 'boat' is preferable to using the hammer to hurt someone or destroy property.

My Play

   In my childhood my play was supported by all of my friends. We would play baseball in the street out in front of our homes and have a great time. Most of the time we spent outside, I grew up in sunny Southern California and the weather was always great. This is totally different from the kids today where they spend most of their time playing with electronics and digital toys. This is why we have so many obese children in the USA, because they spend most of their time sitting and playing instead of physical play like riding a bike or playing sports.

   Today play is still an important part of my life as well as all my families’ lives too. We spend much time on the lake waterskiing, fishing or swimming. When we are at home we are swimming or playing “corn hole” outside enjoying the weather. We all have jeeps and we hit the trails whenever possible through the “The Land between the Lakes”, here in Kentucky where we currently live. When it is cold we are inside shooting pool. We all enjoy doing things together. My husband and I have always said, “We work hard all week to play harder on the weekends”.

Relationship Reflection

   Relationships are a very important part of my life. Some relationships have developed over time and others are just starting. There are many different types of relationships such as family, professional, and acquaintances and friends. Family relationships are very important to nurture and maintain.

   The people in your family you cannot choose, it just happens and sometimes it can be difficult to maintain, but nonetheless, very important.

   Professional relationships might take a little less maintenance. You do not have to become best friends with the people you work with, but you do have to keep it at a professional level. However, many times I have developed long lasting relationships’ with co workers that have turned into life long friends.

   Acquaintances are people you develop a sometime relationship with, they are what I like to call hi and bye friends. You know them, but you do not get to know them, maybe because of a busy life, who knows why? They are just people you know in passing. 

   You chose friends and people you want to spend time with, as they do you.

   All of the above take time to nurture, empathize, listen, trust, and evolve and much hard work. Relationships are not one sided, it takes two willing participants’ and develop over your whole life. There are many ingredients to a positive, strong and lasting relationship and all a person has to do is give it time to grow.