Children at Play

I like watching children play. I know that sounds weird, but I am a mother of four as well as a classroom assistant at a special education preschool. Watching kids is what I do. They fascinate me and it is wonderful to watch how a child's play progresses and changes as they grow older, and wiser. For example, I am a special education assistant and have been working one-on-one with a visually impaired preschooler who was a student in the class for younger kids. I had the opportunity to work some extra hours and stayed for the afternoon class. That class is composed mostly of children who are older, preparing to go on to Kindergarten in the Fall. The difference in the way the morning and the afternoon classes played was remarkable. The younger kids mostly played by themselves, once in awhile engaging in side-by-side play with their classmates. In the afternoon, the children were much more organized and elaborate in their play. They set up the kitchen and served dinner to all their classmates who could/would participate. It fascinates me how even children who have learning problems (these classes have a whole range of special needs from hearing impairment, blindness, autism, & neurological disorders) play at varying levels of maturity. It was so fun to watch. It has been fun watching my own children as well, particularly my youngest who is eight. This summer, she is really turning into an interesting and funny kid. She has progressed from being timid at the swimming pool, to a confident little fish. She has also become quite the comedian, and even though she is on the cusp of being an "older kid" she still enjoys imaginative play and has been playing with her new Jessie (from Toy Story) doll every morning this week. She dug out all the old Toy Story toys from her older sisters and has substituted an American Girl doll's horse for Bullseye from the movie. I just love it. The messes that are made drive me absolutely crazy (both at school and at home) but watching children play is worth it.