Playground Philosophy

We had an amazing weather weekend here in Atlanta and my family took full advantage. Being only five weeks postpartum I'd begun to go a little crazy from the lack of outside activity in my life. The past few weeks the only times I've left the house were to go to the doctor or to go grocery shopping. It always baffles me when I'm attacked by strangers for leaving the house and bringing my newborn out as well. Apparently, people still believe a newborn should not be brought outside until it's at least six weeks old, preferably eight weeks, despite the fact that the doctors all say it's perfectly fine for mommy and baby to get out and about. Well, with 60+ degree weather out and about is exactly what we did.

Both Saturday and Sunday we took the kiddies to the playground. To say our toddler had a ball would be an understatement. I of course still have to take it easy due to my c-section so I mainly just watched as my husband ran around the playground with our son. As I watched my son certain things began to stick out to me. Along this journey of being a parent I've learned that some of the most simplistic things we introduce to our children end up playing a key role in their development or understanding of life. For example the rattle. I always thought it was just a toy you use to entertain a baby. Apparently, that small unassuming object assists baby enhance her motor skills and  sight. As I watched the toddler I realized there are several life skills and lessons being developed on the playground.

Physical Activity

The obvious of course is physical activity. Despite the fact that I am supposed to be taking it easy I did sneak onto the playground this weekend. Let's just say I can't do half the things those kids are doing on the playground and it's not because I'm too big. I called myself climbing this spider ladder thing and my muscles are still sore. It's the best leg workout I've had in years.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
A lot of the play sets on the playground require kiddies to think through the best options/routes to take in order to achieve the goal. I watched my toddler as he analyzed his options and was quite proud of his problem solving skills.

Conquer Fear and Try Something New/Challenging

By far the best part was to watch him overcome his fears or to tackle something challenging. There were a couple of play sets that initially he wouldn't approach or attempt playing on because he was either afraid or it was too difficult for him to reach the top. After a while of playing I saw his confidence grow and he became very bold in his play often doing things mommy preferred he didn't.

Social Skills: Learning to Interact with Others

Up until five weeks ago my son was an only child. Additionally he just started daycare two months ago. This makes for a kid that doesn't quite play well with others because he doesn't quite understand give and take or the art of sharing. It may be genetic but he is a born socialite. He waves and says hello to all the kids big and small. He will just walk up to a group of kids and try to join in the play. Side not parents: teach your children it's impolite to tell another child you can't play with us. My son was told that this weekend and it broke my heart. Not true. It angered me and I wanted to go tell those kids a piece of my mind. Back to my observations. I watched as he appropriately waited his turn or exerted his dominance. The dominance thing is important because sometimes you have to stand up for yourself and not let the other kids run over you...literally in this case. Because he is small it is all too easy for the other kids to try to take his turn or push him to the side. What he doesn't do well yet is share his toys. In this case he exerts too much dominance as his idea of sharing his toys is him kicking the ball then commanding the other child to go fetch it and return it to him. Not sure if he is a natural born supervisor or dictator.

While the toddler was doing all this the new baby was doing this...

Good day for all I say.

 

*Disclaimer: These are the thoughts, observations, and ramblings of a mother and are not intended to be presented as scientific fact. ;)