Childhood Connections to lay

“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.”  Fred Donaldson

“A child’s play is not simply a reproduction of what he has experienced, but a creative reworking of the impressions he has acquired.” Vygotsky

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” Fred Rogers

 

         

As a child, we were encouraged to be outside to play.

Play was an essential part of our days as a child. We were always outside riding bikes or doing something. My parents encouraged me to create and be imaginative. My mom would provide my sister and I with things that helped to build our imagination and encouraged us to be creative. We were always given the space that we needed to explore and learn about the world around us. My parents provided us with developmentally appropriate things to play with.

I believe that there are definitely differences between play now and when I was a child.  For one thing back when I was a kid we were able to have more freedoms than kids today have. We could go outside, walk to a friend’s house, and not worry about what might happen. We were allowed to play and interact with the things around us. We needed less push to go outside. It has gotten to a point where parents have to make their kids get out and play. The toys we had were a lot less technical than the ones are today. Play is so important in a child’s development. I believe that it is also important for adults to play when they can. 

Relationship Reflection

Relationships are important to me, because they are in every aspect of my life. Relationships have an impact on every aspect of my life, which makes them important to me. I have family relationships, friend relationships, and professional relationships. For me the most important relationships that I have are with my children. I currently have positive relationships with my children, my parents and sister, my close friends.

My relationship with my children is positive, because it is beneficial to all of us. My children have gained a consistent positive connection and bond that has given them security during their growing up. My children make me want to strive to provide them with the best experiences possible, which is positive because I want to succeed for them. Together we give each other the strength to be the best we can be. The relationship with my parents and sister is positive, because we are able to provide support and encouragement to each other . The relationship with my close friends is positive, because it is supportive and strong in trust and understanding.
One of the challenges that I have discovered overtime with regards to developing and maintaining relationships is consistency and distance. When friends or family move away it is hard to maintain the relationship, because it requires more work from both parties. When one person moves they both tend to drift apart. I have discovered that in many cases it is hard to find friends that are willing to share the work that it requires to maintain a strong relationship. Another insight that I have gained from my experiences over time is that a strong relationship is one where you know that the other person will be there for you when you are having challenges.
My experiences with relationships has taught me that it is extremely important to support the people you are in a relationship with. My experiences have impacted my work as an early childhood professional, by teaching me the importance of respect and understanding. I am able to respect each families differences and try to understand what the child needs to succeed. My experiences have also taught me that it is extremely important to make sure that no child or family feel as if they are not important to me as a professional.