Saturday, November 04, 2006

Play

I am so glad that the American Association of Pediatrics recently announced that children get as much or more from unstructured play as from organized activities.
Some organized activities are o. k., but today's children are too tightly structured in their daily activities. Even school recess is almost gone.

As I watch Sam play peekaboo, Ella play with her baby dolls, and Maddie color or draw, I see the efficacy and timelessness of play. Maddie has recently asked me knock knock jokes, showed me some basic magic tricks, and wondered if I know how to play Go Fish. She is picking up on some of those games and rituals that have been around for a long time. She may be soon asking for a ball and jacks. Thankfully her princess phase has not overshawdowed her learning old games that every generation passes on.

How about you? Have you forgotten how to play amid all those structured things you HAVE to do? Want to play some jacks?

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