Games Children Play

My recent time at camp was a growthful one and I foresee several more entries about my experience before we are all said and done.

A troubling fact was shared with me concerning today’s generation and their inability to handle unstructured time.

When I was a kid at camp, the daily schedule resembled something like this:

8:00-8:30am Morning T’fillah (prayers)
8:30-9:00am Aruchat Boker (breakfast)
9:00-10:00am Morning program
10:00-12:00 noon Chugim (electives)
12:00-1:00 pm Aruchat Tzohoraim (lunch) and song session
1:00-2:00pm M’nucha (rest hour)
2:00-4:00pm Chofesh (free choice)
4:15-5:15pm Shower hour
5:25-5:55pm Evening T’fillah (prayer)
6:00-7:00pm Aruchat Erev (dinner) and song session
7:00-9:30pm Evening Program
9:45pm Closing Circle
10:00pm Laila Tov (“lights out!”)

A schedule with plenty of time for flexibility. Perfect for kids.

But something has changed. Kids are no longer equipped to handle large blocks of unstructured time. Every moment must be scheduled for them because when faced with free time, they are at a complete and total loss. In fact, the staff reported that the amount of unscheduled evening time was causing (not relieving) stress.

What has changed? For starters, at least 40% of all schools have eliminated (or are attempting to eliminate) recess from the school day. The increase of childhood obesity and its related health concernse (such as Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, and asthma) can be directly tied to the decrease in physical activity of our children. It’s in the news frequently. What is not mentioned is that along with the physical health concerns that arise from the lack of activity is the stunted psychological and emotional development of kids who do not have enough time to play.

Jean Piaget defines imaginitive play as “a symbolic transposition which subjects things to the child’s activity, without rules or limitations.” This allows the child to safely assert control over situations that mimic real life. In her essay “The Role of Play in the Development of Thought,” author Loraine McCune contends that “the capacity for consciousness of self and others arises from developing representational and perceptual activities, especially during play.” Again supporting the idea that a child will learn how to properly negotiate social situations as a result of unfettered play which is supported by developmental psychologist Dr. Hans Furth wrote about the ways in which play prepares children for societal norms.

In other words, all those hours of dress-up, cops-and-robbers, and doctor were necessary in our development as social beings.

Imaginitve play is important for other reasons. It can provide a safe environment in which kids can work through their fears.

Case in point: as a young girl, I used to play Holocaust with my younger sister (who shall remain nameless because she thinks people will think we are weird. Should I tell her that they probably think that anyway…and this isn’t going to make or break that notion? Nah.).

How does one “play” Holocaust? We would each pack one small rucksack and then hide in the closet. For hours. Without making a sound.

And we’re not even Second Generation because (thank God) our family had already come to America before the Shoah (“catastrophe” — the Hebrew word to describe the Holocaust). But the collective memory of our people’s tragic past left an indelible mark on our young psyches and it was through our play that we were able to come to terms with the reality that had we been born in a slightly different time and in a slightly different place…

A great deal of research has been done on the stages of development and the role that imaginative play has on them. Piaget believed that children take a very active part in
their growth and acquisition of intelligence, which he defined as “an individual’s ability to
deal with the world based on how they mentally process their experiences.”

My children made up a new game. It is called “Visiting the Poor.” Poppyseed dresses up as a rich lady with lots of money in her purse. Beernut gets into bed and pretends to be a poor man on his deathbed. Poppyseed come to his home to make him feel better and to give him tzedakah.

Wonder what Piaget would have to say about this?