Have you ever heard of the stories from your parents or older generations?
You know the types of stories that sound something like this: “When I was young all we had was paper and pencils”, or stories such as “We were outside from dawn to dusk”. Can you imagine what the children were doing? I can, they were playing games like stone skimming into creeks, they were riding bikes and chasing each other around in an imaginary game. Children were able to play freely and incorporate natural items into their play without much effort. Of course, we should supervise and join in at times, but we need to establish the fact that children are born to play.
As adults the best days are when we engage and play with the children, use rocks, sticks, bikes, hula hoops, do flower pressing, sand play, drawing, reading, playing peek a boo, hide and seek, singing, dancing, playing catch, throwing balls, going to parks, taking walks around our neighborhood. There are so many simple activities we can participate in with our children which help us engage with our children, support their learning and guide them to be the future helpers and leaders of the world.
We make a difference every day with these moments. These moments are the ones the children learn so much from and make their memories. Ask yourself what was the best part of your childhood? I guarantee it was when your loved ones played games and spent time with you, not necessarily the toys you were bought!
Begin to blossom with ideas from yesteryear, understand the importance of play, imagination, social and emotional well being. Theorists have been observing this for many years.
At Piptree we take a blend from different theorists, thus encompassing the best from around the world. We are leading the way in education and development and will continue to support our children and their families to grow and blossom together, forming strong bonds and feeding the imagination!