Resources, Quotes, and Sources of Inspiration
Play by definition means the
spontaneous activity of children. Unfortunately we have lost the word
“spontaneous” in our teaching vocabulary. Everything we do now is a scripted or
according to standards. Whatever happened to kids being kids? Check out the
picture below I believe it captures that essence of play.
This website I found very interesting because it
has pediatricians giving their views on play and the benefits of it. Who better
to tell our children to play more, but their doctors!
I thought this pdf article
was very informational and thought provoking. This would be a great resource
for parents or teachers to print and have a around when they need some ideas on
different ways children can play. It addresses how adults can support play, it
reviews the stages of play (I thought that piece was very important for parents
so they know what to expect at each stage), it also has recipes for fun to
create materials to play with, and it lists additional resources to use to find
out more about play.
This is one of my favorite quotes about play. It
inspires me everyday. I have it hanging on the file cabinet beside my desk at
school. I read it each morning to remind myself to let my kindergarteners be
themselves and to explore with free expression.
“Play is the highest
expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free
expression of what is in a child’s soul.”
-Friedrich
Frobel
The Founding
Father of Kindergarten
