My Connections To Play

The Pictures I included here are pictures of my children playing with Lego's, playing with cars and trucks, and dressed up for Halloween. Included these pictures because when I was younger I loved to play we Lego's, cars and trucks and my sister and I liked to play dress up. We more liked to dress our cat and dogs up but we enjoyed playing dress up.

Play has been a essential part of my youth and into adulthood. I played sports when I was younger and I also had many free time play. I remember playing cars with one of my friends for hours in my hall way. I also remember my sister and I playing with our blankets on the clothes line building a house in our back yard. My mom allowed us to have an imagination and explore our world. We were allowed to play outside. We rode our bikes all over the town and during the summer we would play at the park. We had a swimming pool in our back yard and we would create all types of different worlds while we were swimming. During the fall we would rake the leaves up and play in them. I remember one year that my sister and foster sister stuffed me with leaves. I itched for hours afterwards. My parents supported my play by allowed me to explore and create without extreme boundaries. I believe that because of my free play is why I have fun sitting down with my children and playing with them. I love building Lego's with them. They love having me play Play Doh with them. I do this because I love them I just cannot handle the smell of the Play Doh. I love taking my children for walks in the woods and watching them explore. We go on bike rides and they also help me work in the yard. Planting flowers and a gardening is fun for them. They love to play in the dirt and getting dirty. I believe that because of how my parents were with me allowed me to have the foundation to allow my children to play without too much structure.

Play has defiantly change since I was a child. Electronics and technology are contributing factors. Other contributing factors is violence in cities and the fear of someone kidnapping your child. Where I live I do not have to keep a close eye on my children because we live in the country but many children in the cities and towns have to be watched closely. When parents get in trouble for allowing their child to play at the park without supervision I know our world has changed. My children have way more electronics then I ever had. They relax with a movie or a game. When I was a child quietly siting in your room was the way to unwind. Free play I feel in more structured because of the types of toys that are on the market. I was watching a commercial about a car set for preschools that talked to them and told them where their car was and what it was doing. Right now I am listening to my children play with Lego's and they are building and creating conversations. They are build a world among themselves and they toys are not telling how to think and what to do. I see more and more toys do not allow for imagination.