My Connections to Play

My Childhood Connections to Play


I am 5 years old.  I have a brother that is two and a half years old so I don’t play with him much – yet.  My youngest brother Craig isn’t even a thought in anyone’s mind.  I live in a small rural town where my only neighbors are members of my own family; my grandparents, my aunt, my uncle and my cousins who are seven to fifteen years older than me.  I’m in kindergarten and I’ve made new friends, but none of them close enough to play with on a day to day basis.  I get plenty of attention from my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins but not on this particular day.   On this day, as on many typical days, I am at play by myself.  

During my individual play times, I would take my “dress up” clothes and pretend to play house with my doll babies.  I would dress up in flowing skirts and pretend to feed and change my babies.  I would read them books and feed them bottles.  I would make dinner for “daddy” who was not yet home from work with my play kitchen toys.  All this I learned from watching my mother do the very same thing. I was learning my role as a mother by imitating my own.  This type of play brought out the natural caregiver in me. 

Those around me supported my play by asking me questions about what I was playing and why.  They never teased me or stopped me from playing, as I was very good at entertaining myself at home because logistically I had to.  My family also supported my play by both buying me play items that supported my imaginary “house” like play jewelry, make up, telephones, etc.  

Play today is often drastically different from play when I was a child.  I feel that our children’s lives are booked down to the last minute with organized sports, homework and clubs.  They rarely get free time to just play in the way they see fit either by themselves or with their peers.  Play these days always needs to have some sort of purpose of structure which isn’t always the best for children.  Children need more unstructured play time to learn how to socialize with others, solve their own social problems and release stress.  

I feel very strongly that because I had to learn how to entertain myself as a child is why I really value and need alone time today.  As a child, I didn’t need others to entertain myself and that has not changed today.  I am just as comfortable doing things along as I am with others.  I am social, but there are often times I can take it or leave it. I honestly probably am a little too comfortable being alone at times and I have to force myself to be social. I feel very strongly that often the play structure we experience as children predicts the social structure we are comfortable with as adults. 


“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” - George Dorsey

“Everything we need to know we learned in kindergarten.”– Robert Fulgruhm

















“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” - Mr. Rogers


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