Play as an Essential Part of My Childhood
Growing up I didn't start school until I was 4 years old. I spent most of my early childhood with my parents and grandparents. I didn't hang out or spend time with kids my own age and I played independently for the majority of my upbringing. I relied heavily on toys such as dolls, stuffed animals, arts and crafts like playdough and watercolor, and imaginary friends. I loved creating scenarios with my imaginary friends and even my dolls and stuffed animals. I used to play school with them where I would have one of my bigger stuffed animals be the teacher and the other smaller ones were the students. My parents were always astonished how committed I was to my [retend life with my toys, for example, if a toy was going on vacation I would hide them in various places in the house and not take them out until the date I initially said they would be back home.
I related a lot of stuff I learned and experienced in the real world and applied it to my play. I was discovering and learning new ways of communication, and cognitive thought throughout my play. With the arts and crafts sensory play I was practicing concentration and planning tasks out. I believe play is a great and essential way for children to learn and adapt to the world and environment around them.
Hi Kristen,
ReplyDeleteYour play experience is probably pretty common these days. Many children are single child with no siblings to play with, some are being raised by grandparents or other family members, or have working parents that are strapped for time. You seemed to have adapted to your situation and entertained yourself quite well. It sounds like you have great imaginative and creative skills. Thank you for sharing.
Cynthia
Hi Kirsten,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog very much, the two things which got my attention was that you spent most of your early childhood with your parents and grandparents. In my part of our world, it is considered that home is the first university for any child, especially if a child is with parents and grandparents. The child gets most of the love, care, attention, learning, motivation, and guidance through parents and grand-parents. The second thing, I got surprised that you hid your toys and pretended that they were on vacation, I must say that you are a very smart and intelligent girl.
Tasneem
Hi Kirsten,
ReplyDeleteI too played school with my dolls and stuffed animals. I have distinct memories of sitting my dolls around my chalk board and passing out worksheets to them, just like my first grade teacher would do. There was a child in my class that was always in trouble, and I remember naming one of the stuffed animals that I didn't play with often the same name and I would "punish" him the way my teacher would. He usually ended up sitting alone or in the hallway (can you imagine doing that nowadays?) I see my own daughter playing school now and it makes me smile, because I feel like it means children have connected with their teachers and it a compliment to her teacher now.
Thanks for sharing!
Leanne
Hi Kirsten,
ReplyDeleteImaginary play is very important for children. I remember when I first got Lego to play. I created tons of spaceships, hoses, island with pirates. Unfortunately, I did not explore more in the arts area since I once drew giant pictures on living room wall and when my mom found out I was grounded for a long time. So no more arts at home, said my mom.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Sawin Thongloy