Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/the-spirit-of-adult-play/5008926/
Roger sits on the sofa with Carrie and Martha, age 5, and asks: "Well, you girls must be about ready to get jobs! Have you found your own apartment yet?" Carrie and Martha eye him incredulously, then dissolve into giggles.
Delores joins Stephanie on the riding toy and together, adult and child, they whiz down the riding path, hair flying, smiles blazing.
Lynne and Keisha, age 25 or so, sit on the riverbank creating a miniature world with pine cones, rocks, and sticks. The focus of their bodies and their quiet, intense conversation exclude the rest of the campers.
Adults who play. They play with words and ideas. They use toys, invent props, appropriate resources for new purposes. They play with children and with other adults. They play because it is natural and because it makes them feel good. Children need these adults in their lives, people who will model the importance of play to living. But in so many early childhood programs, people have forgotten how to be playful. They are focused on order and routines, appearances and paperwork, agendas and lesson plans. There is no serendipity, no wonder, no surprise.