My Connections to Play

"Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play."

Henri Matisse

French painter

1869–1954

I have reached that stage in my life in which I use phrases such as, "When I was young..." and "I remember when...", but my childhood memories of play are some of the best!  My childhood and youth was spanned the 1970's and 1980's.  My play involved a lot of time outdoors.  Playing in the woods, climbing rocks, building forts out of blankets and cardboard boxes, running through sprinklers, splashing in blow-up pools, riding bikes, jumping rope, hopscotch, swinging, sledding, neighborhood snowball fights, digging in the dirt, making mud pies, and playing neighborhood games of hide and seek and kickball.  If it was a nice day, my mom sent me outside.  

Digging in the sand and making mud pies.

Swinging was a favorite part of play.

I always tried to get as  high as my legs could pump.

Summertime meant running through sprinklers, blow-up pools, or days at the lake.

I played in the woods all of the time.

Barbie dolls could always be brought outside on nice days.

Indoor play for me involved playing with Barbie dolls, cars and trucks, crafts, reading, Legos, board games, pretend play, and dress-up.  We did have a television, but back then there were only 13 channels and children's programming aired mostly on Saturday mornings.  I was raised an only child, so my mom would play with me quite often.  My dad was a Naval officer and spent most of my childhood out at sea.  Growing up in Navy housing meant there were always children to play with in our neighborhood though!

I played with dolls and cars.

My mom always let me have real dishes in my pretend play.

This day I was a veterinarian!

Reading was always a quiet play choice.

Crafts were a great rainy day activity.

Latch hooking.

The world has changed significantly since my childhood.  Neighborhoods aren't the safe havens they used to be and playing in the woods without adult supervision is a scary thought for many parents today.  Most homes have a television and a DVD player in every room of the house.  Video game systems, iPods, and cell phones are a must have for most children too.  Children are not encouraged to go outside mostly because our world is not as safe as it was years ago.  However, I hope that parents and families can make time for outdoor play and exploration and that they can "unplug" and allow for play indoors that does not involve electronics.

"It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers the self."

D.W. Winnicott

British pediatrician

1896–1971

Play is so important!  And, play is not just for children!  Adults need play in their daily lives as well.  Everyone needs "unplugged" time to explore, learn, discover, relax, and enjoy life!