Play builds the kind
of free-and-easy, try-it-out,
do-it-yourself
character that our future needs. - James L. Hymes, Jr.
Play is the highest
form of research. – Albert Einstein.
I have been thinking about my own childhood. I think Hymes’
quote would describe my childhood the best. When my father would not be
available when he was working at his factory job, my three sisters and I would
always be engaged in totally free play. We played with neighborhood kids, or go
over friends’ houses in the neighborhood. We rode bikes to visit my father at
work and grandparents and to the library to get books. We played hide-n-seek in cornfields. We played pretend
office. We played cards in the winter. With neighborhood kids, we played Red
Rover, Red Rover. We had bike races, and that’s when I would have skinned
knees. We went to the local lake or to the local swimming club.
One of my sisters is the most adventuresome. She’s always –
even to this day – thinking of ways to have fun. She would create games to
play. On long road trips, she would make up hysterical Seussian stories –
stories I told my own children!
My father would play sports with us, never mind we were all
four girls. He taught us how to throw footballs, hit balls, and, most
importantly, sportsmanship. He would not allow us to show poor sportsmanship.
He never lectured at us but showed us how to be good sports.
I don’t like to compare my childhood with my children’s
because it is really sad to think about what our children today are missing. It
is difficult for me to qualitatively evaluate the importance of play from my
childhood. Frankly, I’d rather be reading than playing, and we played because
that’s what we did during the late 50s.
Our play was not as supervised except at the lake or at the
pool where we had lifeguards. Our parents would frequently drop us off there
and return a couple of hours later. In the summer, we would also attend
afternoon movie matinees all by ourselves while our parents went shopping.
I would bring my children to the park and sit back and read
a book. My children would go down to the school playground down the street, but
they did not do that often because there would not be anyone else. We would
need to set up playdates for my children to have someone to play with.
Everything was structured except in our own home.
I do think our people today is yearning for a better sense
of community and trying to set up more community-based activities.
Albert Einstein’s quote sums up all the reasons for the
importance of play.
Toys that I had and which I also bought for my children:
p.s..
I checkedwho James L. Hymes was. He was a national authority
on early education who was a member of the National Planning Committee for Head
Start during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s tenure. Check out his storied professional
life in his obituary in the New York Times.
Saxon, Wolfgang.
(March30, 1998) James L. Hymes, Jr., 84, author and specialist on
child-rearing. The New York Times.
Retrieved January 2015 from: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/30/us/james-l-hymes-jr-84-author-and-specialist-on-child-rearing.html
