In a few weeks we will be boarding a plane and heading to Canada for the summer months. In preparation, I have been scouring the internet looking for organized activities, day camps, and events for the kids to join. So far I have signed them up for gymnastics, swimming lessons and a Blue Jays baseball game! Of course, my motivation is primarily that I want them to have fun things to do, but there is also a part of me that feels guilty we live in a remote part of a developing country without access to such amenities. I guess I am concerned that they may somehow be academically or socially disadvantaged by not being exposed to these opportunities, and therefore I am seeking to compensate for this deficit. Yet, at the ages of 3 and 4, I doubt that this is true!
My mama desire for the best for my kids also extends to our home environment here in Nicaragua. A year ago in response to my concern that learning to ride a bike was an essential skill acquired in childhood, we paved our front yard to create a safe space to cycle, and constructed a play structure for good measure!
I frequently spend hours reading parenting blogs, articles on early education, and searching pinterest for kid friendly activities, so that I always have some new captivating learning experience up my sleeve. While this is not all futile, I am finding that more often than not my calls to action of “hey guys, let’s make a woodland craft” or “potato print” or “oatmeal cookies” or “chase bubbles” are greeted with a sigh and response of “Mum, maybe later, we just want to play”! And off they go into a magical imaginary land where grown ups are not allowed!
Most commonly, they transform into their alter egos of either ‘Fire and Rainbow’, two sisters who care for their babies while simultaneously fighting crime and performing trapeze, or ‘The Supers’, superheroes protecting earth from alien robots and rabid coyotes! The sofa becomes a camper van, the dirt pile a volcano, the grass the ocean. Forts are built, mud pies made, and knees are scraped!
As a parent, I relish these moments of respite from being ‘hands-on’ even if it means an opportunity to clean the dishes and sweep the floor! But as a goal-orientated and over-achieving individual I undervalue the benefits of this time, probably because there is nothing to hang on the wall or eat at the end of it. However, early learning educators understand that this time is far from unproductive. In an interview with Parents magazine, Harvard Child Psychologist, Susan Linn explains’ “for kids under 5, play is the foundation of creativity, constructive problem-solving, self-regulation, and learning as a whole.” Surely these are characteristics that we wish to foster in our children.
Yes, we need to provide an array of experiences and engage them in creative activities, but to support them in their development, we must also permit them the time and space to explore, experiment, and create. This time of free play is precious and time-sensitive, before long they will enter the formal school system, and it will be supplanted by the demands of the curriculum and drive to conform. Being able to engage in make-believe play prior to this transition helps our little ones make meaning out of our confusing world, and this ability will stand them in good stead over the years to come.
The impetus to write this post stems from an afternoon thunderstorm that came rolling in earlier this week. As the first few drops of rain fell, I muttered “well lets go inside and watch a movie” but instead we became mesmerized by the pitter patter on the roof and the four of us sat there watching the downpour. A sudden movement in my peripheral vision, shook me out of my reverie, Coco had stripped naked and was running out into the rain. She stood under the over-flowing eaves trough screaming with delight. Within a minute her little brother had joined her. They dashed out into the yard, jumping in the puddles, raising their arms in the air as they danced in circles. “Be careful, it’s slippy”, I yelled, followed by “if there is lightning you’ll have to come in.” But then the contagious power of their belly laughs and giggles took hold and Earl and I couldn’t help but laugh along with them. And just like that I understood. I understood that although there may be disadvantages associated with living in Nicaragua, that these moments fully compensated for them. I understood that as a parent I am driven to ‘do’ my best for my kids and that sometimes that means ‘doing’ nothing. And I knew with certainty that this moment, watching my children be children, wild, free and uninhibited was priceless. Everyone should dance naked in the rain!
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