"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."
~Plato
"Play is the work of children. It's very serious stuff."
~Bob Keeshan
I loved to color and doodle. I would draw random things like a fish hundreds of times in different colors. I liked to draw balloons and rainbows.
I would play school with my two younger sisters and my stuffed animals. I loved going home and teaching them what I had learned at school.
I enjoyed building things that let me use my imagination. I loved legos because they were colorful too.
My family encouraged me to play school because I loved doing it so much. They bought me a bookcase and chalkboard one year for Christmas and I thought I was the luckiest kid ever. They would buy me books and flashcards as a reward for doing well. My family also would buy me toys that allowed me to use my imagination. There were times during the day where I could play whatever I wanted without having to worry about anything else.
Play today is different because children are so focused on television. My children are not allowed to watch anything that is not educational, and even then, only for an hour a day. I did not care to watch TV when I was a child. Also toys today are more electronic than they were when I was a child; my children will pick up a toy and ask "what does it do?'. The need for toy makers to make toys that always do something takes away from the child's want to use their imagination.
I think that play was a vital part of my childhood. It allowed me to express myself and learn for myself. I had the chance to have fun and learn things for myself by playing. I honestly believe that the times that I spent playing school had an impact on my wanting to be a teacher. I feel that children and adults need the down time and the play time to remain energized and eager to do things throughout the day; it gives the brain and the body a break. Adults play differently than children do, but it is just as important.
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