Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/resources-for-managing-common-play-challenges/5015335/
“We played a lot in school when I was little. It was always fun to go to school. Well, sometimes it wasn’t so much fun to play, like when the other kids were mean and stuff like that.”“And when they didn’t follow the rules.”
“And when they lied and when they wouldn’t let you play.”
“I always hated it when they lied, like when they would always be like ‘I didn’t get a turn!’ and we all knew she did.”
�"Conversation between two sisters,
ages 11 and 8
Is play always a good experience for children?
Certainly the goal of any teacher using a play-based curriculum is to create a learning place that is emotionally and physically safe �" and fun �" for all children. We each like to think of our classroom as a bucolic haven for healthy play and learning.
But what about children who use play to reject, hurt, insult, or exclude others? What about children whose abilities don’t fit the prevailing mode of play? What about rough and tumble play or other activities that consistently attract some children but have elements that seem to include violence? Is there a seamy underside of play?
It’s easy for play to feel challenging ...