Monday, August 3, 2009

Playing Purposefully - part 3

Posted by Tracy Wainwright at 9:17 PM
What is play?
Play should be fun. It may seem that it’s not necessary to say that play should be fun, but it’s a good reminder. Especially when you look at the definition of fun. According to Webster (II New College Dictionary, 1995) fun means “a source of amusement, enjoyment, or pleasure.” So what does your child find enjoyable? What activities amuse him? And keep in mind that the root word that fun came from meant to act foolish. So it’s okay if the activity requires you to be silly.
Play, in general, should also be voluntary and spontaneous. You may have to pull them away from the TV or computer to get them started, but as soon as you’ve developed a habit of consistent play times (either with you, friends, or alone) they’ll be more likely initiate play more often. You can also give them the opportunity to pick the activity (within limits that encourage unstructured or interactive play) to help encourage play.
Play should also be active. This covers play that requires a lot of physical activity (tag, hide-and-go-seek, basketball) as well as imaginative play (having a tea party, play-dough, building blocks) and interactive play (board games, dominos). Computer games can be considered somewhat interactive, but play with another individual or with the imagination are much more stimulating. Watching television is the opposite of active, and although many find it enjoyable and do it voluntarily, it’s only useful for vegetating.
Lastly, play should at some point include make-believe. Younger children (beginning around age 3) do this very well and more frequently. However, there are many ways to encourage creative play in older children as well. Building things, making up stories, drawing, working on art projects, and reading help children to build on the skills of imaginative play.
So, now that you know all of the advantages of play, that it’s an essential part of development, and what play is, you can determine to make it a part of your lifestyle. You can make it a goal, actually written down or just kept conscious in your mind, to encourage your children to play more. Hopefully you’ll reap all the benefits of playing with your child and maybe you’ll even be reminded that play is an important part of life, even for parents.

0 comments on "Playing Purposefully - part 3"

Monday, August 3, 2009

Playing Purposefully - part 3

What is play?
Play should be fun. It may seem that it’s not necessary to say that play should be fun, but it’s a good reminder. Especially when you look at the definition of fun. According to Webster (II New College Dictionary, 1995) fun means “a source of amusement, enjoyment, or pleasure.” So what does your child find enjoyable? What activities amuse him? And keep in mind that the root word that fun came from meant to act foolish. So it’s okay if the activity requires you to be silly.
Play, in general, should also be voluntary and spontaneous. You may have to pull them away from the TV or computer to get them started, but as soon as you’ve developed a habit of consistent play times (either with you, friends, or alone) they’ll be more likely initiate play more often. You can also give them the opportunity to pick the activity (within limits that encourage unstructured or interactive play) to help encourage play.
Play should also be active. This covers play that requires a lot of physical activity (tag, hide-and-go-seek, basketball) as well as imaginative play (having a tea party, play-dough, building blocks) and interactive play (board games, dominos). Computer games can be considered somewhat interactive, but play with another individual or with the imagination are much more stimulating. Watching television is the opposite of active, and although many find it enjoyable and do it voluntarily, it’s only useful for vegetating.
Lastly, play should at some point include make-believe. Younger children (beginning around age 3) do this very well and more frequently. However, there are many ways to encourage creative play in older children as well. Building things, making up stories, drawing, working on art projects, and reading help children to build on the skills of imaginative play.
So, now that you know all of the advantages of play, that it’s an essential part of development, and what play is, you can determine to make it a part of your lifestyle. You can make it a goal, actually written down or just kept conscious in your mind, to encourage your children to play more. Hopefully you’ll reap all the benefits of playing with your child and maybe you’ll even be reminded that play is an important part of life, even for parents.

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