As I read this article, I thought about a friend who is from Guyana. He came to the United States twenty years ago and is raising his five year daughter in the United States. As I observed the two interactions, I noticed rough and tumble play like egg fight in which they throw plastic eggs at each other or how they threw small balls up and down the stairs. He limited her playtime and encouraged her to calm down often. However, I also observed the importance of academics. He allowed her to use the computer to play educational games on websites like PBS Kids and Starfall.
My hope is to one day interview him and see how his views of play have changed throughout the year, but for right now, it is not possible.
Here are the questions that I have for him:
1.
What was play like in Guyana?
2.
What kind of toys did you play with?
3.
What types of things did you play?
4.
Did your parents play with you?
5.
Was there a combination of play and academics
when you were younger after school?
6.
Did you play with J. when you arrived in the
states?
7.
What was your view of play when you first came
here? Did you think children could learn
through play?
8.
How have your thoughts of play changed since you
came to the US?
9.
How much time is M. allowed to play when you have her?
10.
How much time is devoted to academics?
11.
Do you think play promotes learning? In what ways?
Reference:
Roopanarine,
J. & Jin, B. (2012). Indo Caribbean
immigrant beliefs about play and its impact on early academic performance. American
Journal of Play 4(4), 441-463.
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ReplyDeleteI found your post very interesting. It is fascinating to learn about the beliefs of play in other countries; it actually reminded me of another article from the same journal called Children's Pastimes and Play in Sixteen Nations. This article analyzed the beliefs on play in various countries. Along with Jamaica, as you mentioned in your post, Asia and African parents also become concerned with children getting dirty during play. However, in the article, it also emphasizes other types of play, including outside, sports, media, and pretend play. Some countries consider pretend play as leisure activities, while others look at it as an opportunity for children to develop more fully. With you having known someone from Guyana, do you know what his thoughts were on this? Did they feel play was only for leisure time and development was completely unrelated? Your article indicated that the families within their study seemed to have changed their beliefs on play, having lived in the U.S. for a lengthy period of time. I wonder if all immigrant families change their beliefs based on their surroundings in the U.S. It would also be interesting to study Americans who have moved to other countries to see if their beliefs change based on cultures they are now living within.
ReplyDeleteI think your questions for your friend are very thought-provoking, and I would love to hear the answers to them. I hope that you will be able to one day contact this person and find out the information.
Dixie,
DeleteI am not sure what his thoughts were on play whether it was only for leisure time or for development. I know he limited his daughter's time to play and monitored how excited she got while playing and quickly redirected her to a different activity if she got wild.
Melissa, Thank you for sharing the article of play from Indo-Caribbean families. As I read more about play, I find vast differences of how it is perceived in different cultures. Prior to readings, I just thought of play as play, something children initiate and enjoy doing. I read an article that shared about play in Puerto Rico. The author broke play into categories: construction play, games, motor play, pretend play, art play, humor/friendly teasing, musical play, replica play and rough play. There is so much more to play when you start breaking it down and try to define. Do you believe there is a place for play in the classroom? If so, what type of play?
ReplyDeleteSharon Lloyd
Sharon,
DeleteI do believe there is a place for play in the classroom. I encourage children to participate in construction play, games, motor play, pretend play, art play, humor/friendly teasing, musical play, replica play and rough play. Although, I think certain types of play are not appropriate in every environment. For instance, I do not encourage rough and tumble play in the classroom but encourage it outside.
I would also think that the type of play you encourage would depend on the situation and possilbly the level of ability or skills needing to be developed. For example, if I had a child with a delay in large motor development, I would encourage that type of play. Of course, as you stated, this would take place outside.
DeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteThat was a great article you shared. It made me think of play in Zaire,Africa when I was a little girl. When I lived in Zaire I was encouraged to go outside and play with the children in the villages. We rode bikes, got very dirty while making mud pies, engaged in pretend play by placing baby dolls on our backs in "panya's" and many other things. It is very interesting how different play is viewed in different cultures.
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI did not grow up in Venezuela, but I lived there for several years. While living there I worked with children of all ages. Academics are important there and so is play, but each has its place. Education is very structured and every student wears a uniform to school. I had contact with a private preschool in the area where I lived and it was interesting to note that when the children arrived, they went into a courtyard area and they were inspected to make sure they had on the proper uniform and shoes, then they started their day. A friend of mine had her children in this school and they received a very good education and were serious about their studies. One thing I noticed with them was that play and academics were separate. When they went home, it was an extension of school until they finished their homework. Once that was completed, then they could play and saw it as down time.
For them school was only half a day no matter the grade level. This was the schedule for all schools in the country. You either attended the morning or afternoon session. It could be for that reason that play was not incorporated so much into the schedule of learning. With a limited amount of class time, play may not have been seen as an option. I wonder, what would our view be if the schedule for all grade levels was half a day here in the U.S? What would we place as important in our schedule?
Darla,
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of half day school is quite interesting. Not so long ago, we had half day kindergarten and the children were able to play. However, I think if this was the case now there would be no time to play. Academics would prevail over play. Reading and math would be the focus.