Play and childhood
I have been trying to play more with my daughter. I really should find it easier than I do. Whenever she approaches me, eyes wide, clutching a notebook and pen that tells me she wants to play school, something inside me freezes. I love my child. I would do anything for her – except, it seems, sit down and pretend to be taught arithmetic by her.
There are all sorts of studies that show how important play is for a child’s development, and no end of people campaigning for our young to get more of it at school. Play, says the poet Michael Rosen, is a “fundamental human right“.
As Rosen explains: “The need for adults to be productive members of society means we end up thinking of things that make us laugh, or which are fun to do, as not being very significant or having very little value.” But this is exactly why we need to play more. Because it lightens the load of life and allows us to get back to a childlike state of wonder.
Play, I have realised, is vital to wellbeing. And it is why I have confronted my mental block and started playing school with my daughter. I managed an entire hour and a half the other day – and afterwards, I felt sort of euphoric.
Vocabulary:
approaches me – walks up to me or comes closer to me, “Whenever the dog approaches me, it wags its tail.”
clutching – holding onto something very tightly, “She was clutching her favorite toy while she slept.”
something inside me freezes – a feeling where you suddenly stop moving or don’t know what to do because you feel nervous or stressed, “When I saw the giant spider, something inside me freezes.”
arithmetic – simple math, like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers, “We learned basic arithmetic in primary school.”
all sorts of – many different types or kinds of things, “The bakery sells all sorts of delicious cakes.”
development – the process of growing, changing, and becoming stronger or smarter, “Good food is important for a child’s healthy development.”
no end of – a very large amount of something; endless, “There is no end of work to do around the house.”
campaigning for – working hard or fighting publicly to get support for a cause, “They are campaigning for a new park in the neighborhood.”
fundamental human right – a basic freedom that every person in the world should automatically have, “Having clean water to drink is a fundamental human right.”
productive members of society – people who work, help others, and do useful things for their community, “Schools try to help students grow up to be productive members of society.”
significant – important or meaningful, “Graduating from college is a significant moment in life.”
lightens the load – makes a difficult or stressful situation feel easier to handle, “Sharing the chores with my brother really lightens the load.”
childlike state of wonder – feeling happy, amazed, and curious about the world, just like a little kid, “Looking up at the stars filled him with a childlike state of wonder.”
vital to – completely necessary or extremely important for something, “Water is vital to our survival.”
wellbeing – the state of being happy, healthy, and comfortable in life, “Getting enough sleep is great for your overall wellbeing.”
confronted – faced a difficult problem directly instead of hiding from it, “She finally confronted her fear of public speaking.”
mental block – a problem in your mind that stops you from thinking clearly or doing a certain task, “I had a mental block and could not remember his name.”
euphoric – feeling intensely happy, excited, or on top of the world, “He felt euphoric when he won the gold medal.”