My connection to play

My Connections to Play

“For a small child there is no division between playing and learning; between the things he or she does ‘just for fun’ and things that are ‘educational.’ The child learns while living and any part of living that is enjoyable is also play.” ~

           Penelope Leach (psychologist, author)

Play for young children is not recreation activity,…It is not leisure-time activity nor escape activity.  Play is thinking time for young children.  It is language time. Problem-solving time.  It is memory time, planning time, investigating time.  It is organization-of ideas time, when the young child uses his mind and body and his social skills and all his powers in response to the stimuli he has met.”

          James L. Hymes, Jr., child development specialist, author

When children engage in blocks play, they are developing their motor skills along with their hand-eye coordination, creative thinking, social and language skills.

 

 

 

Play dough is a great way for children to strengthen their fine motor skills.  As they play, they are developing their hand muscles making pencil and scissor control stronger. Also it’s an excellent tool for children to express their imagination and creativity quality.

 

 

Puzzles allows children to use their hand muscles, hand eye coordination, motor skills, as well as building up their confidence.   

 

My mother was the first person to ever encourage play as a daily routine when I was young.  In my infant/toddler, we played games like peek-a-boo and this little piggy. When I reached the preschool years my play became more detailed related.  Pretend play was a major role for me. I loved to dress-up in my mother’s clothes and try to walk around in her shoes.  My preschool teacher was another person that supported my play development.  She always had exciting props setup in the Dramatic Play area.  On a weekly basis the area would be transformed into a many fun themes. One time it’s was Doctor’s office with Lab coats and doctors kits for us to explore. Another time it was a restaurant with menus, table clothes, chef outfit, and also money to pay for the food.

 

I feel that play is different from the play in which I engaged as a child.  Now a day, technology plays a very important role in play.  Running, jumping and throwing are being replaced by game dives. Technology on the other hand can actual is beneficial. Children with learning difficulties find IPod and IPad to be very helpful with their learning. 

My thoughts regarding the role of play throughout my life is that it allowed me to express myself, socailize, and beimg confident in me.

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship Reflection

Forming relationships with people is very important to me because it is a way of connecting to individuals on a positive and meaning level.  When connecting with people you tend to be happier, friendlier and welcoming to others, compared to people being by themselves.  Relationship also has validation of your self-worth and security. 

The people that I have manufactured positive, long lasting relationships with are my mother, children, my best friend and my cat, Dior.  One of the ways in which I maintain a relationship with my mom is because we share a common dominator, our children.  As a mom, I can see the struggle she went thru raising me and my siblings the respectable and correct way. There have been times that I ask her for advice when facing dilemmas in raising my own children.  I can’t believe that I’m saying this but I’ve known my best friend for over 25 years.  She is like another sister to me.  Growing up we shared everything from clothes as youths to advice as an adult.  Another way we have a positive relationship is because of the respect and trust we developed over the years. 

 Some challenges that I have experience over time in regards to forming a positive relationship is the time it takes to build the trust and loyalty.   Relationships are not built overnight.  It may take years to really feel secure with sharing your personal information with others.  My experiences with relationship have greatly benefited me in my employment as an early childhood professional.  It has taught me that being patient can have many rewards.  And as educator, collaborating is one of our main tools in becoming better teacher.