"My Connections to Play."

Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.

Kay Redfield Jamison: Contemporary American professor of psychiatry

A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who does not play has lost forever the child who lived in him.

Pablo Neruda

As a child I enjoyed playing. Back then play to me was so much more exciting and more meaningful because we created most of it. We had toys we played with that were bought but I had for fun with the toys we created on our own. As a child my parents encouraged us to play more outside because we were not allowed to play in the house. Even in school we had more time for recess than children do now. I can remember how Mr. Carter would take us to a big field on his mother’s land and lets us play baseball during the week. I also remember on the weekends our church would allow us to participate in different activities at the park or the local gym. I had video games as a child but I preferred to play outside.

Play today for children is so much different from when I was a child. You don’t see as many children outside playing as you did when I was a child. Video games, computers, and the lack of parental encouragement are some reasons I believe play has changed.

Playing as a young child helped me define who I was and what I was good at doing. It helped me build positive relationships, gain respect for others, and how to interact with others in a positive way. I also encouraged my children to play when they were younger so they could experience what I did. My children are totally different from me when I was a child I remember playing outside beyond elementary years but they act as if they are allergic to being outside. The older they got the less time they had for outside play. They love to dance, sing, and technology, but outside play is very important in how they develop. But I now have the luxury of engaging in play with my nephews who love to play especially outside.