Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity. ~ Kay Redfield Jamison
I had a wonderful childhood. I’m sure there was some not-so-good stuff in there, but my brain prefers to retain the positive. One of the pleasant aspects of my early life was the time spent outside with friends. That was where you got to know people. In person. Face to face. Playing games where someone would, inevitably, lose. You knew who you could count on to shoot straight and who would eventually cheat. Or try to.
It would be ridiculous to say that every individual of my generation used good judgment when we were spending time outdoors, away from adult eyes. We didn’t. I remember a few things that, in retrospect, might have been less than stellar ideas. In full transparency, the list below includes not only my pastime memories but also some from friends and classmates:
- Standing across the street from a friend after dark, pretending to hold a rope/string taut. We hoped (idiots that we were) that cars would stop, thinking there was a barrier. Why was that funny to us?
- Walking up and down neighborhood streets, occasionally engaging strangers in extended conversations. I specifically remember one gentleman who said he was from Transylvania.
- Smoking cigarettes in the woods with friends/cousins. Where did we get them? Older friends and cousins?
- Throwing quarters against the edge of the school building to see who could land them closest to the structure. Winner took all. Early shot at gambling, I think. Just kidding, Chip.
- Making out with visitors at the local campground. Not my memory.
- Hiding from the fathers of girls camping at the local campground. Also not my memory.
🙄
Additionally, I had some great times with my grandmothers. An example was shelling peas. It was a productive and mindless way to spend time on the porch. Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it.
When I was much younger, Grandma Perry allowed me to make mud pies in her front yard and to join her and some of her friends (sisters?) in quilting sessions. I’m sure she removed all my errant stitches, but it was an honor to sit with those ladies and learn. Grandma Perry also taught me to crotchet, and that’s still one of my favorite ways to spend a few hours. My great-aunt Rosie let me help her make butter, and I realize now how few people had the opportunity to experience that.
With Grandma Gibson, I helped peel tomatoes and then to can them. They make better soup than Hunt’s. Trust me. Grandma tried to show me how to knit, but sadly, I never caught on. I also learned to make fried pies, but mine are never as good as hers were. Perhaps I should switch from Crisco to lard?
Even if it doesn’t all “take,” spending time with someone older and wiser can be illuminating. I learned how another generation communicates, a little about their skills, and a lot about what they thought was appropriate. Neither grandmother was shy about making sure I understood expectations.
Favorite things from an unplugged childhood - mine & my friends'*
- Fishing
- Riding bikes
- Riding plank go carts
- Horseback riding
- Digging tunnels in the snowdrifts
- Praying snow tunnels didn’t collapse
- Hunting deer and squirrels
- Exploring the riverside
- Swimming at the local pool
- Building forts
- Learning practical skills from grandparents – baking and laundry
- Playing in the straw in the barn
- Sledding
- Ice skating
- Pickup football & baseball with friends
- Blowing soap bubbles (which I still enjoy)
- Spending time at the local park – the free kind. No admission and no rides that weren’t self-propelled.
- Shooting baskets
- Playing
- Hide & seek
- Kick the can
- Foxes & Hounds
- Red Rover
- Simon Says
- Washers
- Croquet
- Cork ball
- King of the hill
- Mother, may I?
- Hopscotch
- Badminton
- Marbles
- Marco Polo
- Horse (which has nothing to do with horses)
- Jumping Rope
* If any of the above games/activities are foreign to you, let me know. Maybe you can teach a game to someone younger than you. You know, an activity that doesn’t require a battery or a power cord. Or a credit card.
Effects of devices
I have long had an opinion of the consequences of allowing the very young to spend extended time on electronics. It seems to me that degenerating communication skills and increasing issues with attention spans could be related to a reduction in face-to-face interactions and an increase in the speed of life: texts instead of phone calls; emails instead of “paper” letters, e-cards instead of Hallmark. Turns out that I’m not the only one who thinks so. Some pediatric specialists agree, at least in part. The Mayo Clinic referenced the American Academy of Pediatrics in its article, Children and screen time: How much is too much? If you read this article, you can see that the Academy has several bones to pick with children’s excessive availability to screen time. This includes all kinds of screens – iPads, tablets, televisions, and videos from any device.
Here are some of the pitfalls the article lists:
- Obesity, because little people get into the habit of eating while they’re watching. Mindlessly. I do that, too. Bad practice.
- Poor sleep habits, since too much time staring at the screen makes it difficult to fall asleep.
- Negative behavioral impact since too much screen time is linked to social and emotional issues.
- Negative academic impact observed when elementary children have devices in their rooms; those children are less likely to do well on tests.
- Exposure to violence in video games leads to desensitization and a poor path to problem-solving.
- Reduction in time for active play – children who are playing video games or watching television are being entertained. They may learn something, but chances are slim they are being creative.
Keep in mind, I didn’t write the article. That, and I did find others with similar opinions. The AAP is simply the one I’m quoting. Tiptoe through a search engine and see how many like-minded opinions you’ll run across. I expect there will be several.
My years of having the illusion of control over small children are long gone. That fact does not, however, erase the need for children to spend time that fosters creativity, exercise, and social skills. The generation that is raising “littles” these days didn’t have the luxury of the baby boomers’ culture. I think it was more laidback, more family-centric, and less likely to foster a transient population.
We can’t roll back the years, and I’m not suggesting that we should. I really enjoy many of the entertainment options the last 50 years have brought us, and I think young people need to learn cutting-edge skills. That said, embracing technology wholesale can have consequences. I’m fairly confident that most parents believe creative, active play is essential, but I’m not sure parents’ appreciation for outdoor games has retained the status it enjoyed when I was a child. “Littles” currently enjoy (?) a high degree of access to electronics. There may be consequences that have not yet been communicated effectively. I think a balance between the way we were and the way we are would benefit us all.
You?
Couldn’t agree more. Grew up building tree houses and catching frogs and snakes. Raising rabbits and having koolaid stands.
Dirt clod fights with trash can kids as shields.
Mud wrestling when it rained in muddy field
Throwing water balloons at cars
A
Few other that I’m
Less than proud of.
Point is I was allowed to make
My own rules and suffer the consequences.
Instead of banning books all of these governments should maybe focus on all
Of the screen time. We are getting dumber by the minute.
But that’s ok cause AI will save us.
Clearly you don’t have an aversion to being dirty. 😉 Your response does raise some questions for me that I’ll hit you with next week.
Yes! You reminded me of so many fun childhood activities that I need to add back to my life. Add to the list picking (and eating) wild berries….blackberries, plums, blueberries, crabapples. Catching fire flies. Catching frogs. Playing in the creek ( had to wear your old clothes for that one). Riding bikes on trails in the woods at dusk. Building fires for roasting hotdogs (this one required adult supervision). The taste of honeysuckle. Lower Alabama Sledding competition – this one may not have been the best idea, but it was fun. Find a steep hill in the woods underneath pine trees, where the ground is covered year-round in pine needles. Next, build your racing sled – the easiest version – and most dangerous – was a discarded piece of barn roofing metal. FAST.
Another good read on a similar topic, Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv.
Fire flies and honeysuckle and catching frogs! And tadpoles. Great additions to the list. The lower AL sledding – not so sure about that one or the re-purposed roofing. Yikes!
Good piece. Brings back memories of walking to Bailey Park and playing chess with my friends but also putting cherry bombs in neighbor’s mail boxes and watch them blow to smitherines!
I had forgotten about the cherry bombs. Sheesh.