Play is work :: lessons from my children
Play is work & work is play
Having my own kids pushed me into higher ways of thinking and being. Through all the research I did when they were born - a concept that I latched onto was the Montessori Theory. Maria Montessori developed an approach to learning where the key principles such as independence, following the child, and self-directed learning - supported them in each stage of growth. We decided to homeschool and I ended up taking this approach a different way. Instead of buying all the Montessori toys or putting them in a Montessori school - we took to the natural world. I felt like this was the ultimate life of learning through play.
If we look through a child’s eyes - life is about pure curiosity and an eagerness to learn. They walk through life naturally curious about the world and in return they end up learning so much about everything around them. Their play becomes their work. They learn by manipulating their surroundings and naturally experimenting. They push their own limits - if we give them the space and they learn to do so much more by using their whole bodies through this type of play.
We spent our days at the river and in the forest climbing trees. I was so surprised by how well our days were going that I too became more playful. I even discovered passions that became alive as soon as I developed a more playful mindset.
Of course now I take it to the next step of thinking…
So when did play become separated from work? Why is play only considered child’s work?
The land of what if
What happens if a child is raised to know that her play is very important?
What if she never stops “playing” and discovers something that no one else has?
What if because of her solid foundation of play she learns to make a business from her passions?
What if her play becomes her job?
Just over here staying curious friends.
To be a student of life - Play must be considered work for all ages
I saw with my own eyes how a life of play shaped them into who they are now but I was also being impacted! Everything around me became an experiment! We would harvest grape vines and make them into baskets, throw a whole bunch of ingredients on the table and figure out a dinner, I would play around with colors on our walls in our new home and even skip down the sidewalk with my kids. The child inside of me was alive and she was back.
I don’t see a time when I am not working + playing
It’s about experimentation. It’s all work and it’s all play. I am forever a student of life and to be a student of life I know I need to stay curious. The way I have created and maintained our life is to not separate work from play. Instead when life invites me to take action I like to look at it with playful eyes. Even through those days of struggle - I wake my inner child and invite her to come play. For me play is not just child’s work. It is the work of a life long student.
