More Old Fashioned Play
There is another story on NPR about the importance of creative imaginative playtime.
This story answers a question I had after reading the other story I mentioned in the post, Old Fashioned Play. Years ago children were allowed to roam around the neighborhood in groups and regulate themselves and their play. Now play is structured nearly all of the time. Part of this is because we are seduced by the allure of giving our children so many opportunities to learn sports, music, dance, art, etc. Another reason for limiting unsupervised playtime is safety. Can we let our children roam in unsupervised groups anymore?
This article goes a step farther than the last one. I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with the high degree of structure described in the "Tools of the Mind" program, but the results are significant.
At the end of the article is a question and answer section that I found interesting. The structure that is provided by the adult consists of:
It is best not to offer elaborate costumes or props because simpler ones force the children to remember what item stands for which necessary prop. If a child chooses to play a fireman, this child and the other children involved all need to remember what is representing the hose. This builds their cognitive functions.
All of the children have to control their impulses in order to stay in character and to allow the story to continue. This builds the ability to control their impulses in other settings. The adult provides the expectation that the children are to stay involved in their story. They are expected not to quit or change characters at a whim, so that the story can continue to work for the whole group.
That's a lot more structure than I gave my kids when they played pretend, but they seemed pretty able to do it for hours without any expectations. I guess with so many of them and with cousins close at hand, we still enjoyed the relative safety of former times. Family reunions were frequent, and generally included children playing out of sight of the adults. We would check on the kids if things got too loud or if one of them got upset. Otherwise they were on their own.
* * * * * * * * *
Baby Luke is a bit yellow and has at least 24 hours with a bili-light blanket. I get to be there again most of the day tomorrow.
And tomorrow night? Our Vermont kids arrive!
This story answers a question I had after reading the other story I mentioned in the post, Old Fashioned Play. Years ago children were allowed to roam around the neighborhood in groups and regulate themselves and their play. Now play is structured nearly all of the time. Part of this is because we are seduced by the allure of giving our children so many opportunities to learn sports, music, dance, art, etc. Another reason for limiting unsupervised playtime is safety. Can we let our children roam in unsupervised groups anymore?
This article goes a step farther than the last one. I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with the high degree of structure described in the "Tools of the Mind" program, but the results are significant.
At the end of the article is a question and answer section that I found interesting. The structure that is provided by the adult consists of:
- and extended period for imaginative play
- an expectation that the children will spend a small amount of time choosing a scenario and roles that they will stick with for that time period
- simple toys that can be used as improvised props
It is best not to offer elaborate costumes or props because simpler ones force the children to remember what item stands for which necessary prop. If a child chooses to play a fireman, this child and the other children involved all need to remember what is representing the hose. This builds their cognitive functions.
All of the children have to control their impulses in order to stay in character and to allow the story to continue. This builds the ability to control their impulses in other settings. The adult provides the expectation that the children are to stay involved in their story. They are expected not to quit or change characters at a whim, so that the story can continue to work for the whole group.
That's a lot more structure than I gave my kids when they played pretend, but they seemed pretty able to do it for hours without any expectations. I guess with so many of them and with cousins close at hand, we still enjoyed the relative safety of former times. Family reunions were frequent, and generally included children playing out of sight of the adults. We would check on the kids if things got too loud or if one of them got upset. Otherwise they were on their own.
* * * * * * * * *
Baby Luke is a bit yellow and has at least 24 hours with a bili-light blanket. I get to be there again most of the day tomorrow.
And tomorrow night? Our Vermont kids arrive!
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