Tag Archive for: play

Games We Played

Growing up in the 1960’s, I played lots of games outside with my friends.
Who else remembers some of my favourites?
Kick the Can, Kerbie, British Bulldog, Skipping Rope Games, Conkers, Marbles, Hopscotch, Hide and Seek, Rounders, Statues, Jacks, Cowboys and Indians, and endless games of football – played everywhere, as there were fewer cars around.
All of these games brought us together outdoors.
Favourite toys included Action Man, Meccano, Lego, train sets, Airfix kits, Etch-a-sketch, Yo-yo’s and by the late 60’s, skateboards and space hoppers!
There wasn’t ever time to be bored, and best of all, there were no health and safety rules!

The value of outdoor play

Playing outside was both fun and a little dangerous too!
Our social skills developed as we actually made friendships, built relationships and talked with others face to face.
Our personal resilience increased as we fell off swings, got a bruised knee, cut a finger or whatever, getting roughed up a little seemed to part of growing up.
And we learned a lot about working together in teams, having lots of fun and learning to lead.
In short – we played together – outside in the fresh air!
As children, it was a time when we were all free of the trappings of today’s digital age of online games, the latest consoles, tablets, movies on demand and smart phones that have all moved childhood indoors.

My recollection is we were much more in tune with each other, by just having play time together, outside on the streets or in the playpark.

And today?

Regrettably, the innocence and freedom of those childhood years, seems to have gone forever.

Sadly, this world of independent children’s play has today largely vanished.
For years now, Monic and I take a walk every day and we have noticed something.
Rarely, do we ever see children playing outside, or for that matter anyone outside.
This lost world of children’s play is now evidenced by physical and psychological consequences, where obesity and mental health issues are rife in our rising generation.
Growing research by Jonathan Haidt and others indicates that Play time has been replaced by Phone time.
You may have seen an active campaign recently in the UK to have a “Smartphone Free Childhood” encouraging parents to delay giving their children smartphones until at least age 14 and growing demands for them to be completely banned in schools altogether.
Perhaps its time to revisit some of these great outdoors games with the grandkids?!
What was your favourite street game when you were growing up?

 

Choose to Play

“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲!
“𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡…𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧!? – 𝐍𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞!”
Why me? Perhaps the better question is why not me?
All too frequently as a teenager – that’s where I found myself in the High School Basketball team. I just wanted to play in the game.
I wanted a jersey, I didn’t want to sit on the sidelines – I simply wanted to play!
In my youthfulness and eagerness to play, long hours of practice and effort eventually paid off, and I became a regular starter – playing constantly.
I learned too, that sometimes when you are not playing well, the coach can take you out of the game.
Similarly in life, I want to be where the action is.
Sitting on the sidelines is just not for me.
At home, at work, in the community I need to be involved, I need to play, to make a difference.
As Oliver Wendell Holmes said “It is required of a man that he share the action and the passion of his time at the peril of being judged not to have lived.”
Whatever it is that is most important in your life…
– choose to be engaged
– choose to participate
– choose to practice and expend the effort
– choose to get involved
– choose to make a difference
Decide now to get up off the bench, move from the sidelines and into the field of action – 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚!
What will you choose to do today?