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Unstructured play Children are such social animals. I have been bemused by their interactions for most of my 40 years as teacher and mother. Although we think of children as being in constant motion, much of their work together has to do with negotiation. As they are riding their bikes, playing in a sandbox or, as teenagers, deciding what to do on the weekend, they live in a flux of imagination constantly tempered by the realities of circumstance and the personalities of other playmates. Each age has its own version of conflict and resolution. The best part of play is a conflict happily resolved. Mastering the art of negotiation is an important process that leads to being a successful adult, and this is the value of play. Playing organized sports is a constant process of conflict resolution. How does unstructured play compare? The major difference for children is that in unstructured play, they are the rule makers. Each age group can make rules appropriate for its own understanding. The form of the game is also appropriate for the age group. During a week of camping with 10 year-olds, I watched a game develop. A few girls and a boy created new channels in the creek and began to build miniature houses of rocks and sticks and plants. Others joined in and then there were three cities. They began trading materials. The ones closest to shore had the best leaves. The ones deeper in the creek had the best rocks. The stone skippers were intrigued by the activity, and as they stood around they were asked to find special items. Soon there was a system of nomadic traders. Some were sent out for specific items and others found things they thought might be valuable and brought them back. Soon half the class was involved in the drama. There were poaching fights, inadvertent destruction of cities, praise of houses and then a new industry of boatbuilding. I felt I was viewing the development of civilization in miniature. What did it take for this to happen? Time, being close to nature, and no agenda. When I take my second grade students out to Bayfront Park, I can see a shortened version of the creek play. We go out in the spring for our introduction to the insect unit. The grass is as tall as the kids and ladybugs and butterflies are everywhere. We practice catch-and-release insect study. The adults can see all the kids from the viewpoint and the boundaries are clear. At first they just run. Then they catch insects furiously and bring them back for showing off and identification. Then they begin to form into little groups. Some of them play follow the leader, others sit and talk in the grass. Some stalk each other. Each group is totally involved with their friends and with the environment. At the end we make sure every bug and snail is free and we talk over what we have felt and what we have learned. It’s like a dream of childhood. It’s an experience more common for those of us in an older generation, and one increasingly rare in today’s world. Even as adults we can enter this world just by going out in nature, without checking off that item on the list. Some adults need to get their exercise, it’s true, but what a great place Bayfront Park is for clearing the mind while exercising the body. There’s nothing like working out a problem while walking and talking to a friend. Families can have fun together, riding bikes, walking or just sitting on the hilltop looking at the view. We’ve had wonderful bagel breakfasts out there with friends. In an unstructured space, people can make their own rules for fun. For children, it’s a necessity. For all people it’s a human value of high worth. Published Spring 2007 in Green Footnotes. Page last updated July 2, 2007. |
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