Red paint in the hair? Blue paint on the jeans? Sand in the shoes? Peanut butter on a favorite shirt? White socks that look brown? Sleeves a bit damp?
YOUR CHILD PROBABLY......
worked with a friend
solved a problem
created a masterpiece
negotiated a difference
learned a new skill
had a great time
developed new language skills
YOUR CHILD PROBABLY DIDN'T.......
feel lonely
become bored
do repetitive tasks that are too babyish
do worksheets that are too easy
do sit down work that is discouraging
YOU PROBABLY......
paid good money for those clothes
Will have trouble getting the red paint out
are concerned the caregiver isn't paying enough attention to your child
YOUR CAREGIVER PROBABLY......
was aware of your child's special needs and interests
spent time planning a challenging activity for the children
encouraged the children to try new things
was worried you might be concerned
Young children really learn when they are actively involved in play.....not when someone is talking to them. There is a difference between "messy" and "lack of care." Your caregiver made sure your child was fed, warm, offered new skills and planned messy fun things to do because that's how young children learn!
Send your child in clothes that can get dirty! Keep extra old clothes at the site for times when the child gets really messy. But remember, young children need time to be kids.
~author unknown
Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.
O. Fred Donaldson
Contemporary American martial arts master
Toys that I was most found of during my early childhood
years were all types of dolls, housekeeping toys, paper dolls, coloring books,
story books, playing my toy piano, riding my trike/bike, and such. I enjoyed water coloring and playing with dough. I loved to pretend play most of all. My friends or siblings and I
often played house, school, beauty parlor, grocery store, cowboys and Indians,
GI Joe, and such. We lived fantasies through our paper dolls. We also played outdoor games such as drop the handkerchief,
mother may I, 1-2-3 redlight, chase, hide and seek, red rover, hula hoop games,
jump rope, soft ball, roller bat, and a basketball game called H-O-R-S-E. Our
parents often played with us. My mother and father taught me to play many of
the games I so enjoyed playing as a child at home, in my neighborhood, and during recess at school. Times were very different during my childhood. Technology as we know today did not exist. We used our imagination and we actively played. My mother did not work; she cared for our home and family. My father worked, however, back then, companies and businesses closed on Sunday. The town stores and offices also closed at 6 pm daily. Families seemed to spend more time together working and playing. There seemed to be a stronger focus on family and I believe life moved at a slower pace. Today, in most families, both parents work. The work week is now 6-7 days and there is no down time. Everyone seems to be busy juggling various schedules and moving in different directions. Life moves at a much faster pace for most. Educational policy now has a stronger focus on standards, accountability, and high stakes testing, so recess is disappearing. There is less time for purposeful play and when you consider technology, it is easier to let television, computerized games/media, and the internet entertain and teach our children many of the skills that children learned through play in the past. Play as I experienced it and have described is becoming something found only in the past. Today's children are missing out on enjoyable play experiences that build imagination, creativity, social/emotional, and cognitive skills while fostering their overall positive health and well-being. We are already seeing the unfortunate consequences through a rise in health and obesity problems, problems with social/emotional skills, language skills, and cognitive issues in many children. It is time that parents and educators recognize the importance of purposeful , imaginative and creative play and put in back into the lives of children. 
