My Connections to Play

The true object of all human life is play.

~G. K. Chesterton

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

~Plato

The above photos are what kept me going as a child. While I appeared to be somewhat of a tomboy, and I did absolutley love playing sports, I loved Barbies with a passion. Even as an adult I enjoy playing Barbies with my nieces. Music was another past time that I had as a child as well as during my teenage years and now into adulthood. I was in the school band for as long as I can remember, and today, I still share my love of music with the people who surround me. I attribute so much of my social skills, academic skills and imaginary skills to the above hobbies.
As a child, play was the number one priority for me. In turn, school became a priority because I knew that in order to go outside and play, I needed to have all of my schoolwork completed. My parents were always very supportive of my play, as were my two older sisters. They were even nice enough to play along with me from time to time regardless of the six year age difference. My parents always really encouraged me to be well-rounded. I didn't only play sports or I didn't only play music. I was on sports teams, I was in the band, and I acted in the school plays. I truly believe that these things are what set me up for success during my teenage years and into adulthood.

Play today seems to have changed quite a bit compared to what is was when I was a child. It doesn't seem as simple. When I was a child, I could play by myself with little or no objects and be completely satisfied. Or a few friends and I could get a game going that we made up on the spot and play it for hours and hours. I did grow up in a time where technology was booming and the era of the nintendo was popular. I think I even had the very first gameboy that came out, although I also remember only have one or two games for it and really only using it on long car trips or plane rides. I never found myself particularly interested in technology. In today's society, I struggle to get kids to play. Recess is no longer a favorite subject among youth and they just want to play video games and watch TV. I hope that I enourage the youth I work with to play and I hope I display the positive outcomes of play.

Based on the outcomes of my life so far, I will argue that the role of play is critical not only during childhood but throughout one's life. Even as an adult, I enjoy play. Perhaps not in the same setting as I did as a child, but very similar. I play on intramural sports teams, I am active in my community, and I am physically active. Participating in these activities help me stay focuesed in work and at school and really satisfy my social interaction needs.