How Does a Child’s Sense of Self Emerge?
Children grow in the garden of unstructured play.
The garden…
Where the vegetables are ripening and the fruit smells sweet…the place where the children swing on swings…and the deer play near the creek…
A garden holds a space of growth; children grow in unstructured play.
Our Learn Forward journey this summer is to encourage and validate our efforts as parents, children, and families to enjoy each other more, be creative, find unstructured time.
We can nurture time for unstructured play! We can consider nature as a space for that play.
Whether we live in the West or in Africa, whether we live in a city or rural context, we must find those little alcoves of nature and allow children to play with freedom.
This week, while driving through the great land of Uganda, we watched all of the uniformed elementary school children walking home from school. Their feet and hands meandered as they weaved back and forth reaching out to graze the trees and fences along the way. They carried their packs with shoulders stooped from the day.
When we realized the time was after five, we asked what time they started. Our guide assured us by 7:30am.
That’s a school day for a little one: 7:30am to 5:00pm.
It’s probably easy to say, “Well, that school day is way too long.”
It might be easy for us to stand in chagrin and wonder who’s in charge. However, I wonder if we often schedule a similar length of day with extra-curricular activities or much less beneficial screen time.
The question of the hour is, “When will what we know, change what we do.”
We’re chatting about that in our workshops and trainings throughout Uganda with Niteo Africa.
Learn Forward calls the children around the world to “authentic play time.” Time when they are using their imaginations, it is unstructured, there are no screens, and the child is free to create and interact without much intervention by an adult.
A prerequisite of this type of play is that the child feels secure in his or her attachments with at least one parent or guardian, feels rested, and has some free time.
It’s like offering a gift.
We know children grow and learn in the garden of unstructured play.
We know that creativity, ingenuity, and connections are made in unstructured play. Also, in unstructured play we can often see children’s challenges arise. When they struggle to make friends, to get along, or to solve problems.
Let’s receive those as gifts. Opportunities to coach, discuss, debrief, and support.
We want to put our energy into positive places and spaces. So, we make a conscious effort, “Let the children play!” Even better, “Let them play outside!”
Watch what your child discovers about the world? What does your child learn about him or herself? What little magic happens?
When children connect with the dandelions and dewdrops, the earth exhales and the child quietly emerges to show his shy soul.
For the sake of the children,
Karine