I think there are two kinds of playing that kids can do: formal and free.
In the formal kind of play, there are activities set out or formally organized for children to keep themselves entertained for a certain period of time. This might be craft time or playground time or Barbie doll time or anything. Disputes are settled before blood, high-decibel screeching or crying can evolve. The organized adults who plan such play time also have rules and keep track of when the children have completed their stint at the planned activity and make them pick up the mess before they move on to another play area or activity. Everything is labeled and has a container.
Free play time is short for free-for-all, sort of. Children are turned out of a room or the front door of a house to entertain themselves. The adults involved here get involved when there is blood or there is a dispute or someone starts to cry profusely. Free play might involve a sculpture in the front yard constructed of dogfood, sand, the tops of carrots just picked from the garden and some leftover boards placed end to end in a triangle. Other times lots of random animals and dolls are dressed in a varying wardrobe are tied up in a tangle of blankets and pillows where they may be going to church or driving in a car. Sometimes vegetables and cooking utensils are involved. The adults of these kids are thankful that the kids aren't fighting too bad or nagging for snacks and sneak off to attempt to get a thing or two done leaving the kids to mix activities and strange little messes. When these activities are cleaned up, everything is supposed to fit in some big tubs.
I've observed one of these forms of play and have attempted mostly unsuccessfully to coordinate it. It might be something best left to the professionals. The other I am quite familiar with.
In 50 or 60 years, I will have a brilliant theory about which combination is most effective in producing quality. profitable members of society.
1 comment:
I agree that play time can be "formal" or "unstructured." I understand formal to be time spent at the park when couped in the car on vacation time becomes unbearable. "Now go, play on the swings, teetertoter, merrygoround ..because Dad wants to get the lake by dark.
"unstructured" means that the sisters get out the dolls and table and tea set for teatime. Sisters would dress the dolls in their best finery and set around the doll table set with finest "doll china" for tea. Sometimes I was sure there were several humans in that tea room as the dolls talked among themselves. I learned that dolls had different voices. Brothers were not allowed to disturb tea time.
Brothers usually went out in the tree patch to make road, build farm sites or carve out bike paths around the trees. It was fun to go to the cousins and check on the progress of their bike trails. Girls didn't seem to get it with negotiating bike trails ... before we knew it sisters had failed to make a turn around a tree trunk and crashed. Resulting crying and carrying on brought Mom out to scold brothers for not letting the girls play too.
Mom you don't get it playing is not like that!
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