What did YOU learn on the playground? Share with me.

So you go to a new restaurant in town. It's gotten amazing reviews about customer service and great food. You just can't wait. You sit down, and a seasoned waitress introduces herself. She explains to you that she is training Amanda and this is her second day on the job. Amanda is carrying your tray full of tea to your table, and successfully delivers each glass to the correct person at your table. Yay for Amanda.

Now let's say this restaurant opens, but the manager doesn't believe in On the Job Training. Amanda sat in a classroom for 8 hours a day for 3 days learning the physics behind holding a tray filled with glasses full of ice tea. She comes to your table, promising to deliver, but she's never ACTUALLY carried a tray full of tea. Confident in her abilities?

Kids are much like this. Play is a necessary part of growth and development. To a child, their play is their work. Children need ongoing, constant On the Job Training. If a child is not playing, chances are, their growth is being hindered.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, ".. free and unstructured play is healthy and - in fact - essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient."

Their report: The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds concentrates on the need for Play in child development and connecting with their caregivers.

I encourage you to encourage your children--whether you a teacher or a mother--to just play.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE...

My children have started a new school in a new state that does not promote recess time. My 8 year old child is sitting in a classroom for 6 hours every day, with the exception of 30minutes for his lunch. And then 2 days a week, he attends PE for approximately 45 minutes.

Can you imagine growing up without recess? I learned so much on the playground. I learned how to read people--what boys were bullies,and what girls hated their home life. I learned patience--I had to take my turn at four square. I learned about ME--that there were some days that I just didn't feel like playing and just wanted to sit. I learned that I would NEVER be a gymnast like my friend Meagan, because I was too tall, and that was okay. On the playground, I learned.

What did you learn on the playground??