“Play is the highest form of research.” - Albert Einstein

Poetry, Play, and the Power of Unplugged Childhood

Poetry, something special for childhood.

A good poem will live on in a child's imagination, at least they did for me. I believe that reading poetry as a child, choosing my favorite one and then memorizing my favorite added such richness to my childhood. All I needed was a book of poems and my own joyous wonder and discovery. 

For me, my favorite poem was "The Swing" by Robert Louis Stevenson

I memorized my poem while swinging in my backyard. I remember that I loved that poem because it beautifully expressed what I experienced while I was swinging. I wasn't in the countryside and I could not see cattle but the essence stuck with me. 

Thinking back I see how I was able via poetry to entertain myself and make parallels of what was similar and different between the poem and what I was experiencing in my favorite moments on the swing. Coming forward in time, I remember watching three little girls experience such joy as I shared a book of short poems with them. They each took turns reading one aloud, their eyes sparkling all the while.

No tablet or phones nagging for their attention. No longer a competition over how we are going to play on technology today but instead all three of them huddled around a book having a shared experience of joy. The first time I had come over to take care of them there was conflict each time between girls who clearly did enjoy each other, all over a tablet and how they should play on it.

To see them all relax and get along so well together; they just needed the conflict taken out of the equation. In this case I said while I am here there is only going to be play with the things you already have, tangible toys, swings and books. No tablets and no phones. That is all they needed. I am not saying that that will always be the experience but I do believe that implementing breaks from tech for kids can be beneficial.

We have a new childhood going on where most of growing up is on a screen in some form or fashion. Let us who are helping to raise the next generation be mindful of the fact that childhood is short and allow them to experience life beyond the screen.