The Importance of Play

Something that really stood out to me this week in SPED was the video that we watched on Wednesday. To me, it really emphasized the importance of play and nutrition in children's lives. Often times, children who live in poverty are lacking in these areas. They do not get the chance to play, and sometimes do not know where their next meal is coming from. This seriously puts children behind! The good news is that they can catch back up by having proper nutrition and by having the opportunity to play.

I was also thinking about the amount of play that children get who do not live in poverty. I was wondering about the effect of video games on development, because it don't think that it really counts as playing. We talked in class about parents encouraging their children to play. This can mean actually getting on the floor and playing with them! We also talked about how playing doesn't always mean a child sitting on the ground with toy cars. Playing can mean a child sitting in a high chair dropping food over the side. Instead of stopping that, we should be facilitating it. This makes me wonder about how I can incorporate this in my classroom as a future teacher. I definitely want to be able to facilitate this in my classroom!

We also talked about different kinds of stress. There are some kinds of stress that are good. It can motivate us to do better in life, and it can help us to perform well if there is the right amount of it. Children who live in poverty experience toxic or extreme stress, which seriously hinders growth.