Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood — Fred Rogers (American children’s television host)
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I have a three-year-old granddaughter, so naturally I like to read everything I can about children in this age group. Not long ago, I came across some thoughts on puddles — yes, puddles — that were buried in a book about children. The writer asked us to imagine a child walking down the street looking for something fun to do when all of a sudden she notices a puddle. It’s not just any old puddle; it’s a really good one — deep, wide, wet and full of messy stuff. The child is wearing her best clothes. Well, if you have any sort of imagination, you will be able to quickly sense that for a child, this is a magical moment — a special opportunity for fun and frolic.
The writer went on to explain how children often regard puddles as a mysterious and wonderful magnetic force — sort of a flashing sign that seems to say: “Welcome (your name here)! We are delighted you have come to visit!”
Inevitably it’s not enough for a child to jump into a puddle just once. Several jumps have to follow, with bigger and bigger splashes. This is commonly followed by jumping into yet another puddle, because a ‘puddle found is a puddle earned’.
The point of this puddle analogy is that children live, play and splash for the moment. For example, let’s consider what a typical day consists of for my granddaughter and her friends:
• Play and fun
• Exercise of mind and body
• Learning, exploring, and experimenting
• Creating stuff and making messes
• Opportunities for self-expression
• Variety and flexibility
• Doing important ‘stuff’
• Marching to their own drum
In other words, almost the whole day is devoted to play, and it is through play that children of her age learn and grow. In fact, if you were to look up the dictionary definition of ‘play’, you will appreciate that play is a vitally essential pathway for kids on their journey of growth, and fulfillment of potential. Here’s a definition of play I found: “Play, v. to occupy oneself in amusement, sport, or some other activity in which there is an opportunity to have fun, learn something, and make a mess.”
However, play isn’t important only for three-year-olds. It offers opportunities for children of all ages to develop their motor and reasoning skill sets. That’s why it is so crucial to provide opportunities for children to participate in physical education and sports — because these activities give them the chance to ‘play’ and learn by doing. Whether a child is a high-potential athlete or an average, awkward kid, she should have every chance to participate in games and physical activities to build values and learn skills such as teamwork, trust, discipline, dependability, and hard work.
For some strange reason, after a certain age, ‘having fun’ is never a good enough reason to do something. For most people there has to be a defined objective, a definite goal. Without that goal, they think an activity is not worth pursuing. In sports, the opposite is true. Playing for the sake of playing and having fun has led to the development of some of the best players in the world. No world-beating athlete started running and playing with the objective of becoming a world-beater. They played for fun.
In the Bangalore-based firm EduSports with which I am associated, we believe that participation in physical activity and sports addresses health issues such as nutrition, obesity, and diabetes, and enables the growth of children and youth, which can be measured by way of physical, mental, social, and educational outcomes. These outcomes include:
• Being able to visualise more possibilities and opportunities in life
• Seeing problems in new and more revealing light
• Creating a common language for acting, working together and forging real relationships
• Regarding others as people worth interacting with rather than hostile competitors
• Relief from the stress of day-to-day routines
• Gaining the energy and enthusiasm to do great things
• Improving children’s ability to laugh at mistakes and applaud accomplishments together
Moreover engaging in sport teaches children numerous life skills. Parents need to understand that by letting children face on-field and in-arena challenges, they are preparing them to confront the greater and larger hardships of life. So if you really want your child to learn to work hard, enable and facilitate her to play hard. Otherwise you will be robbing your children of special opportunities that may never come their way again.
(Dr. George Selleck is a San Francisco-based advisor to SportzVillage, Bangalore)