Search Institute

Well there you have it. Week one of school is over for my two sons. In case some of you were wondering about how my kindergartner’s first week went, he has flown threw delightfully. By morning two he pretty much rushed out the door without remembering to say good bye. I guess that’s a good thing? Today he’s having hot lunch: shrimp poppers. Each little milestone has some significance, today’s being his first exposure to shrimp.

Each day ends of course with mom and dad asking, “How was your day at school?” Our 4th grader is able to give a pretty good account of the minutiae that makes up a day at school. The kindergartner? Not so much. We’re not really sure how’s it going. He hasn’t really told us.

But we do hear about recess.

The boys have a bit of overlap at recess, which means that our younger son immediately ditches his classmates and runs over to join in with his brother and his friends. There’s not much we can do about that.

So far, football seems to be the sport du jour. The bulk of the narrative detail we’re getting is about the choosing of teams and a new addition this year: managing the play book. What?!

But this all goes to show the importance play takes in the lives on young people. Think about it. How much do YOU remember about your own time at recess as a young person? How much did you like gym? Let’s face it. Kids have a birthright to playing.

I read this great article today in the NY Times titled Let the Kids Play (Some More). In it, the writer Stuart Brown, founder and president of the National Institute for Play, author of “Play, How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul,” writes that play is not just frivolity. Instead, it’s an essential part of being human and allows us to connect to our selves and joy and the core of what makes us human.

As we head into the long holiday weekend, I hope you and your children play a lot, play often, and play with abandon! In fact, I hope that everyday. Even when we go back to school.