My Connections to Play

My Connections to Play

“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything, than when we are at play.”
― Charles E. Schaefer

“Go and play. Run around. Build something. Break something. Climb a tree. Get dirty. Get in some trouble. Have some fun.”
― Brom, The Child Thief

Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn. 

― O. Fred Donaldson

It was late 1980s when I was in early childhood. At that time, adults were busy working and making a living in order to live a better life. Therefore, parents seldom spent much time playing with their child and even let their children play as much as possible so that they had much more time to work. I was brought up by my grandparents so I had a very close relationship with my parents and every holiday I would go back to my hometown and visit them. There I would play with my cousins nearby my grandparents' house, where there was a small sand hill that was the leftover from construction, three banana trees and a guava tree next to the house, but no other children’s facilities in the countryside. My grandparents would sit down where they could have a view of what we were doing and just watched us to make sure we were safe and played nicely with each other.

Just as the quote from Brom states, “Go and play. Run around. Build something. Break something. Climb a tree. Get dirty. Get in some trouble. Have some fun.” My cousins and I ran up and down the sand hill playing catching games; built something out of the sand using some old bowls, plates, spoons and chopsticks; climbing up the guava tree and sat on the wall, pretending that I could fly, trying to catch the wind; etc.. Those were our outdoor play, which helped promote my physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. 

Compared with the outdoor play nowadays, there is a place in a community special for children’s facilities— play becomes more and more important in people’s eyes; however, unlike the children in the past who used natural materials as play tools, children nowadays have less chances to have a connection with nature in their play. For me, I prefer to play in a more natural surroundings, where we can develop a sense of and have a connection with the real natural world.

Play is vital to my whole development. In my childhood, through play, I made friends; I developed relationships with my cousins and my siblings; I knew how to negotiate, share, communicate, imagine and have fun. Play is a facilitator for my development. In my adolescence, play is a poiser that helps buffer my pressure on my study. Now in adulthood, play is a success that I always find to time to achieve though it is hard for a busy life; I would feel enormously happy and satisfied when I can have this success.

Here below are some photos of some play items in my childhood:

These were popular dolls when I was young. With my sister and cousins, I pretended to be a mom, a sister or any one who would take care of this baby.

This was a game that children played with fingers using a string, which would practice cognitive and thinking skills.

This was my favourite game that I liked to play. It helps to practice thinking and mathematic skills.