"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation"
Plato
We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"
George Bernard Shaw
“Work consists of whatever a
body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do."
Mark Twain
Source: http://planningwithkids.com/2009/04/14/10-quotes-on-the-importance-of-play/
My personal experience with play
I can almost remember playing with dolls as if it was
yesterday. I used to sit for hours creating complicated stories for my Barbie.
I would make their clothes, style their hair and create mini-versions of
everything they needed to live comfortably.
Since I lived in Colombia a few
decades ago, Barbie dolls and their accessories were quite expensive and rare.
Instead I would create my own. My grandmother helped me create a line of
fashionable clothes for the dolls— Tiny shirts, pants, handbags etc.
I had only
a few without boy dolls, so we used to come up with inventive alternatives for
the “boys”. The teddy bears used to be the dance partners and our dates. A
simple shoe box with glued on wheels was the car, and the sink was the pool or Jacuzzi.
I think on a regular day I would spend a couple of hours engrossed in creating
my own Barbie world. The story lines were elaborate,switched at birth, vampire love tales, or murder mystery. Perhaps, I should have
written a book. I remember fondly how playing made me truly happy. I played socially. All my friends would show up to play with their dolls. My sister
would also join me sometimes. To this day, my sister says I had the best
Barbie-game ideas.
Imagine my disappointment
to know my daughters do not like to play with dolls. I can only blame myself
for introducing the iPod, Wii, and computers into their lives before the joy of
dolls. I wish I could entice them one day to play with me.
Here is a blog about making culturally diverse and realistic
Barbie dolls.
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| This looks like my old Barbie apartment loft. |
I too played with Barbies until FOREVER! Literally probably 7th grade and the only reason I stopped was because I realized it wasn't cool having a Barbie apartment building and numerous cars strung around my room when friends came over. Oops :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother was the most awesome designer of Barbie fashion. She used flour bag fabric and sometimes an old dress shirt to create the best clothes. Because of this one of the Barbie worlds we spent hours on was a fashion show runway. She would even cut their hair so they looked different. Wow, thank you so much for that memory. A bummer about your girls. I have recently introduced Barbies at our preschool. They are a big hit...at least at school were we don't have to much technology.
ReplyDeleteI remember the days of playing with Barbie's for hours. I have 2 daughters that did not touch dolls they were about books and balls. Three of them however would play baby dolls for hours on end. My husband and I decided to be a video free family no Wii or videos for us. I think staying true to this encouraged our girls to get outside more and to play with real toys more! :) Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJosie Zbaeren
My mom did not allow me to play with Barbie. A unique women's movement theory she stood by. Although, this did not deter me. I would cross the street to a neighbors house where her father built a two story Barbie house complete with a garage for the pink Barbie convertible. My friend and I had many moments where we were forced to use our creativity and critical thinking skills to develop solutions to whatever drama unfolded. Lots of good social skills created!
ReplyDeleteI didn't have my own Barbie, I was more a baby doll girl; but my friend Carol had Barbie's and all her accessories along with Ken. It's amazing that the act of playing was actually education for us. After reading the materials this week I am convinced now more than ever of it's place in educating children and the impact it has socially. I am concerned that now that technology has taken over children will find it hard to get the stimuli that is created when they play with dolls and play make believe.
ReplyDelete