Saturday 5 July 2008

constructive play

Today after soccer Doodlebug had Best Buddy over for a play. Being kindred spirits they spent a considerable time playing on their Nintendo DS'es and then online at "Club Penguin" before I confiscated all electronic gadgetry and sent them outside to play.

Doodlebug, BB and Turtle went to the top of the garden to construct a "base" for their activities, and they had a great time doing what I love to see the most... imaginative and creative play.



It seems that they have so many opportunities to attach themselves to screens of various types, making room and time for unstructured imaginative play sadly requires conscious effort. It seems like a contradiction, doesn't it, to consciously arrange unstructured play..... But I would love for my children to have a balance in everything.

3 comments:

  1. So true, so true, my boys get so focused on Nintendo DS that we banned it for a few weeks and they became much nicer people because of it. Their reward however was to be able to play Nintendo in the holidays, with the nice behaviour too or they lose it again :+/

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  2. Here here. We have made the decision no video game playing whatsoever in our house. And look, their unstructured play has them creating their own worlds instead of rambling inside someone elses.

    LOVE your new signing off autograph Mari!!

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  3. So true Mari! I often feel sad that play has to be so much more organised and arranged these days. Being such a "plugged in" society definately makes things more challenging for us mums in some ways.

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