The Importance of Play in a Child’s Life

The Importance of Play in a Child's Life

It has been proven that children's brains expand through play, especially when they are allowed to pretend. The child's language, vocabulary, imagination and creativity become part of the experience and therefore part of their lives.

On December 22nd, the Retana family visited the Tucson Children's Museum. My two grandsons were with us that day and everyone had a wonderful time. I want to share some of the pictures of our experience. Plus, I want to share some of the thoughts that were going through our minds as we watched Ari and Miles enjoying themselves.

Here is the family's experience in their own words:

Grandma "Grams" Mimi

Seeing Grandpa Retana enjoying the sand table along with our youngest grandson, Miles, definitely encouraged me to get one for the boys. What a great way for the younger child to learn about touching and creating with sand, so soft, and its texture is very special.

Grandpa Guillermo:

The Tucson Children's Museum was a unique experience for me. Our goal was to spend time with family, especially the grandchildren, Ariel and Miles. I wanted to see their reaction to all the wondeful things housed in the museum. But to my surprise I became a child myself. I wanted to participate, to touch, to push buttons, to run from one place to another, like all the children there. And every adult I saw there was doing the same. One can say that the museum brought out the inner child in all of us. The museum gave me ideas as to how be creative at home. It would not required money, only time, time well spent with my grandchildren. As I played and observed the children, I saw what appealed to them. And my guess is that everything did. You see, nothing there could be broken. Children could touch, bang, pound, hit, pull, throw, and anything else one can imagine. They were allowed to scream, jump, run, and make as much noise as possible, all without anyone telling them to be quiet. They had absolute freedom. They were in control. Restrictions were absent. The presence of parents was secondary. I never heard cries nor don't run, don't do this nor that. All I heard was screams mixed with laughter and joy, the joy that only a child can give us. Play on…

Papa Izak:

It was amazing to see Ari enjoying all of the exhibits. Although Miles is a little too young to fully enjoy everything the museum has to offer, he still took in everything around him and absorbed the experience. My favorite parts were those exhibits where the parents and grandparents could play alongside their children.

At the very end, in the jungle play room I discovered my very favorite part of the day: playing alongside Ari with the snake elevator and fan. The snake was a vertical velcro strip decorated like a snake and arranged on a pulley system with some climbing rope attached. There were small stuffed animals with little pieces of velcro attached to their bellies. Ari and I placed the animals on the strip and then he pulled the rope, making them climb towards the ceiling. At the top is a small celiling fan rotating at a medium speed. When the animals reach the fan they are knocked off the strip and go sailing across the room. Ari enjoyed this part the most and so did I. We spent a wonderful 10 minutes laughing and having so much fun.

I swear I felt like a kid again!

Mama Talia

Several rooms at the Tucson Children's Museum struck a cord with me. One of my favorites was the music room. Our family enjoys gathering at Grams and Gramps house and playing music so I was not surprised when both children and adults alike looked at home in this room. Stepping back and seeing everyone letting go and having fun was great! Many times in that room everyone seemed like a child discovering music for the first time.

I myself had fun going into each room and thinking of the future. Each room was an opportunity for a child to have a first glimpse of what may come 20 years from now. What will my nephew or son become as adults? Will they choose one of the professions displayed at the museum? It was exciting and fun to imagine the little ones in the family exploring what may be their future career!

Ludim

Ari really enjoyed everything, from uncle Izak's puppet show to the giant mouth/tongue they could practice brushing with. To me, the museum was a great experience but it also lacked some things. I would have liked to see more hands-on activities and more exhibits such as space or sports. Overall, we had a great time, and when it comes down to it, we are there for the kids enjoyment.

How does your family play?

Are there any special activities you come back to time after time?

Thanks for sharing!