Let Your Kids Have Some FUN!
Apr 3, 2007
Childhood is in serious trouble according to Dashka Slater on Salon.com
Consider the word FUN. Overly concerned with development, parents are sucking all the fun out of childhood. They say manners are fun! Brushing your teeth is fun! Homework is fun! And activities that used to be genuinely fun—building forts, horseplay, and puddle-jumping get described as “good for you” or educational. And activities as simple as pretending are now being observed and analyzed. Is my child playing house as well as other children?
But parents can hardly be to blame for this over-analysis of childhood when institutions like the Association for Psychological Science and the American Society of Pediatrics releasing studies on simple childhood behaviors such as horseplay.
Do institutions really need to study such a thing? Don’t we intrinsically know that horseplay is good for kids? Do we need formal research to prove it?
Do you remember roughhousing as a kid? Do you remember how much fun it was (except for that one time you accidentally hit your head off the coffee table?)
Why do we have to examine every behavior as beneficial to our child’s development or as advantageous to his or her future? And why do we even try to hold childhood up to this impossible standard? Yes school and schoolwork is serious business, but we’re talking play here.
Sometimes it’s okay to just let childhood be good clean puddle-jumping, frog-catching horse-playing fun.
Comments(4)
Find this article online at: www.oxfordlearning.com/letstalk/2007/apr/3/let-kids-have-fun/
Greg - Apr 17, 2007
My wife and I met with the Carmel Oxford Learning people about 2 months ago. We are extremely impressed with the program and how much our child has enjoyed meeting with the "coach" in the center. We have already seen a significant difference in his ability and grades, but more importantly, his enthusiasm towards school.
One goal in the beginning was to help "rekindle" our child's love of learning and helping him feel comfortable in being more active in the classroom. Our child is now participating in class and is eager to go to school again!!Mission accomplished, well done!
We would encourage anyone/everyone to look into Oxford's program; we couldn't be more pleased!
Marie - May 16, 2007
We have had our son at the Smithtown Oxford for 3 months. He was very down on himself and knew other kids in his class were "reading" while he was not. He how knows he his reading and feels great about himself.
Emma-Oxford Learning Educator - May 18, 2007
Hi Marie,
Thanks for your post. I'm happy to tell you that this is just the beginning for your son! Confidence is generally the first thing that you notice increase. Just think where he'll be in another three months! There will be no stopping him! At Oxford Learning we truly teach kids how to learn, so that they will be successful at any grade level! Best of luck to you and your son!
Trevor Cairney - Apr 5, 2008
Thanks for the post. Yes, we fail to see the importance of play in children's lives. There is far too much structure in children's lives. As well, we fail to recognise that much learning is incidental. I've written about this on my own blog www.trevorcairney.blogspot.com
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