Children Playing: A learning process!
Children playing….the most beautiful sight in today’s distinctly
political world. It is such a joy to see those scratched knees and white
elbows once an innocent child comes back home after a round of
catch-catch or ball in the park. This prevails in a child’s life till a
certain age and if you ask any parent, it is these moments that they
rejoiced the most.
A child playing is not something that starts at a certain age. It
starts off with his first breath in the world. A child playing with his
mother’s fingers and trying to make out who is holding him is also a
kind of play. He plays with his own body parts. His own toes, for
example is also a toy for his as much as the tinkling hanger.
There are a host of good qualities generated by this activity of
playing with fellow children. One of the first ones is how to make space
for yourself among a group. When a child goes out into the unknown
world, he will always look towards his parents for guidance. In this
case however, they will not be behind him to lend a helping hand. It is
just the gentle push towards the park or to the bicycle and the hand
soon vanishes. You are on your own sonny! A child will instantly look to
make bonds among the numerous children. He is going to be attracted
towards that merry-go-round or see-saw where he sees other children
playing. Once he finds a common group, there is nothing to stop him
establishing himself/herself as a regular.
Healthy competition stems from the fact that every child wants to be
better than the other, so that he rises in the rung towards the
self-created position of team-captain. I remember how some children
playing would always divide teams and decide which game to play. This
child automatically becomes a sort of leader, of course not in a serious
sense, but metaphorically. A child who consistently plays well is
looking to establish an identity of team leader. This technique is going
to stay with him for the rest of his life.
If you closely observe children playing, you will find out that the
tougher he is, the more he is going to be able to pick himself up and
build his confidence. Sturdiness is going to be developed through these
activities and will make the boy/girl a hard nut to crack. Adults know
very well how this quality helps one to make life better.
On the other hand he has to also learn how to handle bullies without
becoming one. When a group of children playing consists of a bully, life
is not easy for the child who is given a soft and luxurious environment
at home. The world is famous with cases where employees have given in to
depression due to a strict boss or superior. The magic lies in how to
handle these types of people which range from a school Principle to a
cane toting Sports teacher.
There are many other qualities which stem from children playing, but
the most important is to continue trying to win irrespective of the
losses you come across. The concept of participating everyday despite
being on the losing side will teach the child how to treat the
difficulties he/she might face in life with determination and courage.
Teamwork is another aspect which is learnt gradually by children playing
together every day. This will work even better if teams are changed, so
that the child learns how to adjust with friends, whether he/she likes
him/her or not.
There is no better place to learn the way of life other than a
playground, they say, and they say it due to proven hypothesis and
research on how much children are affected by playing in different
environments. It has by far the most far reaching influence on a human’s
life.
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