It was a beautiful, sunny day in October half term, and I was with friends in A Coruña in Spain. We were sitting in a square enjoying the warmth from the sun, watching the world go by. There were five children playing nearby (all aged about 5 or 6) and they caught my eye several times. They had a diabolo toy which is a juggling toy – it is two cups joined together that balance on a sting attached to two sticks. The children took turns in having a go, laughed together, celebrated each other’s successes and generally were having fun. They persevered when they dropped the toy and, simply had another try – it was a joy to watch. They played like this the whole time we were there which was probably two hours.
It made me think about how simple activities can be so much fun for children, but also the interaction and resilience skills these children were developing in this moment are so crucial for their life skills. Not one of the children complained they were bored, and not one of the children went to their parents to ask for an electronic device.
In schools, the social interaction and inter-personal skills of children is declining, and children are having to be taught directly how to share, cooperate, and interact with each other. Perhaps we all need to give our children time playing with friends with no electronic devices in sight. Children are good at making up games and using their imagination if they are given the chance to do so. They love it even more when they get to play like this with their family – try it – let your imagination run wild, play simple games and have fun.
Reach Behaviour 