Now that it's warm outside I've started talking my kids for an hour long walk nearly every day. It's not something they particularly relish, although we change routes each time to keep the scenery interesting. The reward for going on a walk is our destination. There are three major parks with playgrounds in my town. We get to the park, the kids get to play (another sneaky way to get them to exercise) and then afterwards, we walk home.
The most rewarding part has been the conversations we have. I get to listen to their ideas and they like to share the stories they are making up, their goals, and the things they'd like to do. And once we're at the park, I get to sit and watch them in action. My kids like to round up every available kid on the playground into a group and then they initiate some kind of game or story scenario to play. No one gets left out. It's fun watching their imagination in action, and even better when I see other kids, who were hesitant at first, get into the spirit of things and have a blast.
It's a great show for me. And yes, I sometimes feel bad for the other parents who are sitting around on their cellphones or other gadgets, who miss out on the experience. Not long ago, we didn't have handheld gadgets. We were kids on playgrounds. I know I couldn't do the monkey bars again, and I'm too big for the twirly slide, but I remember how it felt. The calluses I'd build up, the high-stakes terror of not getting to the bottom of the slide where danger lurked, twisting around in a swing and then letting go, dizzily spinning as it unwound. Okay, so I'm very nostalgic right now. We can't go back to being kids.
Remember when you were a kid? What sorts of things did you like to pretend? Did you prefer to stray into the realm of fancy alone or did you like to do it with friends?
Here's a fun video to help recapture the memories:
Share a memory in the comments or tell me what your favorite playground game was. Mine was Ghosts in the Graveyard.
The most rewarding part has been the conversations we have. I get to listen to their ideas and they like to share the stories they are making up, their goals, and the things they'd like to do. And once we're at the park, I get to sit and watch them in action. My kids like to round up every available kid on the playground into a group and then they initiate some kind of game or story scenario to play. No one gets left out. It's fun watching their imagination in action, and even better when I see other kids, who were hesitant at first, get into the spirit of things and have a blast.
It's a great show for me. And yes, I sometimes feel bad for the other parents who are sitting around on their cellphones or other gadgets, who miss out on the experience. Not long ago, we didn't have handheld gadgets. We were kids on playgrounds. I know I couldn't do the monkey bars again, and I'm too big for the twirly slide, but I remember how it felt. The calluses I'd build up, the high-stakes terror of not getting to the bottom of the slide where danger lurked, twisting around in a swing and then letting go, dizzily spinning as it unwound. Okay, so I'm very nostalgic right now. We can't go back to being kids.
Remember when you were a kid? What sorts of things did you like to pretend? Did you prefer to stray into the realm of fancy alone or did you like to do it with friends?
Here's a fun video to help recapture the memories:
Share a memory in the comments or tell me what your favorite playground game was. Mine was Ghosts in the Graveyard.
We took our little cousin to the playground a couple of weeks ago, and we raced through a field, did cartwheels. It was so much fun.
ReplyDeleteCartwheels! Wow, it's been ages since I even thought about cartwheels.
ReplyDeleteWe used to play Kick the Can. Seems an age ago now.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever played Kick the Can, but I remember seeing it played in movies. It looked like fun. =)
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