Are Your Children Playable?
Children used to be defined by their toys. fossicking at the dirt, throwing rocks, stickizing, walking funny etc. was the list of acceptable playground activities for our youth. Today such activities are not only inappropriate but also not very fun for the kids. How many preschoolers or elementary schoolers would you find who are soccer players, table tennis players, orracquet players? How many would feel comfortable sharing such responsibilities with bigger children?
A few years ago this attitude of ours would have still been the case and probably would have seemed rather normal. There were no smart phones, no smart tablets, no Nintendo games. It would have been unheard of to have a television in the home. Outdoor toys and activities were what kids enjoyed playing.
But something has changed in recent years, and probably it has a lot to do with the fact that life has become a lot more complicated, the level of technology in our lives has increased to unbelievable levels.
All of us are probably more comfortable living in the lap of luxury than we were twenty years ago. That’s probably why the majority of adults are absolutely miserable, obsessed with modern living and don’t even try to be who they are supposed to be.
No matter how responsible you try and be, things just keep going wrong. Either you keep making bad decisions or you keep bringing those bad decisions home with you. Which does seem to be the case with too many people.
There are several things that we as a society have decided are important. These things are public and everyone should be responsible for ensuring that they are done in a legal manner.
Kids in particular seem to be losing their interest in the traditional playground activities and instead are seeking out new and exciting ways to have fun. Safety is one area that is frequently touched by parents who have become more and more frustrated with traditional playgrounds.
Stopping the Bad Choices
There are plenty of different ways to introduce your children to the fun of playgrounds. Large areas of grass are a great way to introduce your child to the joys of playgrounds. There are not very many playgrounds out there that are safe enough to be enjoyed by children who are not at least four years old.
Safest is a very loaded term. There are lots of different ways to stop bad choices. Safety is offered by playground designers. It is something that the playground does not have enough control over. But does it offer enough respect to parents?
People are often guilty of assuming that the playground is the best way to learn about playgrounds. It is true that playgrounds can offer all the skills that traditional schools can’t. But there are alternative ways to learn about playgrounds, and the best way to learn is from playgrounds themselves.
A very good way to see how playgrounds can improve a child’s focus is to take a class with a small group of children. Children can be grouped together and each is given a small playground to play in. Who knows? The little tyke in the playground with you might become the next great engineer at the school, if you let him, and he can show you how to build a Shake flashlight.
It is great to see children grow and mature physically, but it is more important to see them learn constructively as they grow into adults. By helping them gain experience in manageable smaller portions of the playground, you help them to learn to be more self-sufficient.
At any rate,robatics and sports are not the only things you can teach your children while on the playground. Other skills such as cooking, using knives, playing cards, games, reading, and most importantly, peaceful pastimes such as fishing, nature walks, and just talking are also something that make the playground a positive experience with your children.