Childhood Connections to Play

Quote #1: “I’m a 90s kid. I miss being able to watch good TV shows. I miss Hey Arnold, Doug, Rocket Power, & Recess. I miss Full House and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I miss the Mighty Ducks and Lion King. I miss Catdog and the Wild Thornberry’s. I miss waking up early to watch cartoons. But most of all, I miss the simplicity. 90s > present – nothing personal” (pinterest.com)

Quote #2: “When I was 5 years old, my mom always told me the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life. (zombieplace.com)

Essential Play Items:

               

 

 

            In my opinion play is an essential part of life. Parent and teacher interaction is what influences the learning experience. My parents played with me all the time and that helped me to interact with other people. The playing activities should consist of things that appear every day in life. Learning through play helps them learn counting, shapes, colors, and so on. My mom has always played with me. When she was cooking or cleaning she would allow me to help her so that I could learn the different ingredients that she used for cooking and the different smells and texture of the cleaning items. When my friends would come over I would play cook and clean sharing the information shared with me. When I would pretend to play school my dad would be the student and I was the teacher. Play helps a child expand their imagination and helps them learn and develop. As a child my learning and playing experience was great.

            Children today do not get the imagination building time by playing like I did as a child. They have all these video games, social media, and other technology that occupies their minds. I do not believe that technology is a problem but our children are going to be developing slow because they lack imagination. Using the internet is the way they find new ways to do anything. A child’s imagination is a gateway to their future and it helps them plan out their career for later in life.

            I feel that people can play just for fun or playing with a purpose. Playing is a development and learning tool for children. As adults we still play but we play with a mission in our minds. We are the people that the children look up to and we need to watch what we do.

Reflecting on Building Relationships

            What is a relationship? In my opinion, it is a bond between two or more people. There are multiple types of relationships. Relationships can be with family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. My first positive relationship is with my parents. My mom and dad are my path layers to wherever my future leads me. I would be totally lost without this relationship because my parents believe in me when I do not believe in myself. My son is my heartbeat and every breath I take. He taught me what real love is because you never know how to love until you give birth to another life. Everything I do surrounds my son. Children are a gift from God. My spiritual relationship with God is another positive relationship that I have. I am nowhere near perfect and I do not pretend to be but to know that the good Lord loves me and walks with me regardless is a sign of relief all on its own. I know that everyone has their own religious beliefs and I feel to each its own belief. Between God and my family the relationships are powerful and beneficial to what makes me an influential person. I am a leader with goals and ambition. I standup for what I believe in because if I don’t then I would be a follower for what someone else believe in. My communication skills help me build bonds with other people. My parents raised me as an individual that meets no strangers. I carry the same friendly attitude with everyone because I act by example. I do things with my son like my parents did with me. I want him to learn to build positive relationships like my parents taught me. My friends and co-workers are another group of people that I have a positive relationship with. We work together and we separate our work life and hang out together on our personal time. We keep our work life and personal life separate and this helps us function and enjoy the lives we live. When we hang out we bring our children with us to teach them that everyone needs at least one other dependable person in their lives. Relationships are important because it shows children how to be positive and helps them build their social skills and communication skills.