Let’s bring back “old school” play!

As I sit outside on a Sunday afternoon, blue sky and sun on my back I find myself engrossed in my daughter’s play. She is dressed in a fairy dress-up costume and completely engaged in her outdoor imaginative play… with her 2 silkie chickens… “Cinderella” and “Mermaid”. She has had these since she was 2 years old and now 9 she still tends to their needs, including a dirt bath which is today’s task. However she is engaged in imaginative play the whole time – running her own petting zoo where people can visit and meet her chickens. When I ask her “why the fairy outfit?” … she replies.. “well this is so I can be the Fairy at the kids party”.  Of course!

Watching this reminds me of my own childhood where we would spend hours upon hours outside playing in fantasy worlds, taking risks, creating a narrative, solving problems and using various props to support our play. We were creative, we self-resourced our learning and we were resilient.

So I wonder why we are seeing less of this play today? Why are we now more concerned about increased anxiety and less resilience in children?

We are seeing less of this play at home and even some early childhood settings. There is so much discussion about increasing technology and less free play as the cause and while I like technology and it has its place I think there is is possible another issue we need to consider…… and that is what we see as “creative experiences” are in fact not.

The creative arts should support right brain functioning where children can explore feelings and emotions, use language, explore spatial relations and this is usually through open-ended thoughtful creative arts experiences such as art, dance, drama, music and so on.  Unfortunately though I am seeing more “production line” art experiences that are educator driven, time and resource limited, structured and closed and hence support left brain functioning.

As educators we must see the value of the creative arts as an opportunity for children to explore emotions, memories and fears. It is an opportunity to focus on the process of learning and being and engage in dialogue that supports a deeper understanding of oneself and others, explore various sensations holistically, express one’s own perspective while appreciating the perspective of another and of course entering a world of imagination.

As I watch my daughter play (with her chickens) I see all of this happening. However the most significant thing I can see is pure enjoyment and relaxation!