My connections to Play

Quotes

Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul.”--Friedrich Froebel “Father” of modern kindergarten

“It is in playing, and perhaps only in playing, that the child is free to be creative.”--D.W. Winnicott

Essential play items for my younger self

Loved sand play a lot

snake and ladder

Skipping rope

Play for me back in Nigeria was never ending, growing up in a large family, a big compound and a big garden ,there was always something do to, from sand play, dramatic plays acting as /farmers, traders, to running round the compound was fun.

My parents supported play a lot, most times we were told to go play outside, like my mum would say ‘that kids are not meant to sit idle, go outside and play’ The space we had to play was big, we could run around ,climb trees, play with sand, it was always fun and exciting, I cherish memories of my childhood and could not trade it for anything ,playing with my siblings, cousins and sometimes friends in the neighborhood, playing football ,play was a way of life, it was needed to keep us active.

My father loves to play with kids, he bought board games like snake and ladder, ’Ayo’(a traditional Yoruba board game. Indoor games was family time for us, table-tennis was is favorite sport so he even encouraged the girls to learn so we could enjoy together as a family

 The idea of play is changing, children no longer act like kids; they are being hurried to grow, with so much pressure from parents, school and governments. Children now involve in less active and healthy play, rather they watch television, videos, and play videos games for hours, some parents do not spend time to enjoy play time with their kids, sometimes due to economic pressure, parents tends to forget that children need to play to develop, they ignore it and just focus on the academic aspect of learning. There is need for more public awareness on the benefits of play so that children can be children and can exploit their to creative side, parents need to know its health benefits and success in school since that is what they desire for their children

The role of play in childhood is very crucial, through play, children develop better physical abilities, better social behaviors; learning to share things, take turns, and also empathy, better cognitive abilities through various activities which promotes their problem solving skill, it allows gives them the opportunity to explore their creative and imaginative ability. I believe if society can take time to let children play, a lot would be understood about them and their needs  

 Relationship Reflections

As human, we are social animals and have the desire to associate with others, relationship makes meaning to life. Relationship we form vary with the people we interact with, each having its different roles they play in our lives, relationship also serve as an avenue for learning from others, sharing our feeling, getting rid of isolation and boredom. It allows someone to feel that they are loved and that they have a purpose in life. Because they need you and you need them.

                                                           

Relationships/partnership has played very important roles in life; they have contributed positively to my development as well shaping my personality. Relationship in my life has been supportive. The people I can say are currently having positive relationship in my life are my father, my mother, my husband, my daughter and a friend I met when I first came to Saudi Arabia.

I would start with my husband, my husband was a friend and confidant before we got married, he was a friend I could talk to. I am happy I eventually married my best friend. He has supported me emotionally, he always spur me on when I feel I can’t go on, he makes me believe in myself and my ability.

My father is a very important driving force in my life, even though far from me, our relationship is so consistent like we are together, we call each other often and he is always ready to support me financially, spiritually, emotionally in every decision I take. He makes me believe that I can be what I set out to be and much more but I have to make effort and work hard. My masters’ degree at Walden would not have been possible if not for him. He is someone I can rely on, when all hope has been lost. I will always be grateful for his teachings and positive impact majorly towards my education up till this stage of my life. People often tell me I always make reference to him in most of my conversation, I tell them I learnt a lot from him.

My mum is like my best buddy, I talk with her like a friend, she has been an instrument of emotional stability and well being for me. She is my comfort when I need someone to talk to. She has always motivated me to go into the field of education because she believes that is where I would give my best, even though we are far apart, it does not seem so. I can predict when she would call, she makes me appreciate people, she has a very accommodating personality and loves kids a lot, I guess my love for children developed from watching her with different children.

My daughter is my partner at home, I can say we study together, though she distracts me a lot, she helps me know when I need to relax, so as to refresh and have a clearer picture of things. She keeps me company at home and she makes identify my purpose in life.

My older friend in Saudi Arabia, Ummu Sofiya, is someone I met when I first came to Saudi Arabia, she has always being like an elder sister and someone who always advice me not to be a liability but an active participant in Saudi Arabia. She shares experiences about marriage, motherhood and combining it with ones chosen career. She is always willing to offer assistance in any way possible. She persistently advices me to develop myself professionally. We constantly talk about our life experiences in Saudi Arabia.

In my experiences of relationships with people mentioned above, I have realized that for those relationships to be sustainable we all need to play our part, also we both need to understand each other and respect our opinions. We need to both continuously make effort to understand and learn to compromise. I have also learnt that misunderstanding would occur as human are not without flaws but learning to forgive and let go of our grievances ,would help straightening the relationship.

The relationship I share with the people I mentioned are special to me, they continuously impact on my development at various points, but I would use my older friend here in Saudi Arabia has an example. I felt would be partnership, even though we are unique in our own world, I have discovered how thorough our interactions, she has influenced my education and professional development, most of the time we meet to interact, we consistently try to offer probably opinions on how to developed ourselves professionally as married women in Saudi Arabia. I see my relationship with her lasting long because we had issues, and we have been able to handle it as adult.

My relationships with the people I have mentioned have contributed to shaping my personality and how I relate with people. My father and mother has made me realized that you do not look down at anyone, and always try to the best of your ability to help someone in need. My husband has been a source of continuous motivation and support. He has made me realized that for one to be a professional and be your best at what you do, you need to always reflect on your performance and never give up. Like he always says; “ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN B AND C”, so if plan A does not work B or C would. Basically never give up and be creative. My daughter calms me down when I am tense and this helps refresh my thought and ideas, looking at her grow and learn new things everyday makes me more committed to being an early childhood educator. My friend has continuously makes me see the beauty in the profession with her advices and also gives me ideas on how I can channel my abilities here in Saudi Arabia.