Nostalgic Games Make a Comeback with the Help of
Grandparents, Author Says
'It is important for grandparents to work to make
unstructured, backyard play a priority'
By Marlene F. Byrne,
Author, Project Play Books
Aug. 17, 2009 - Many of today's grandparents play
an important, active role in guiding their grandchildren's development,
including inspiring children to play. In fact, according to the U.S.
Census Bureau Report in 1999, there were 5.5 million children in the
U.S. living with a grandparent-a number that has continued to rise in
recent years.
With the proliferation of video games, rigorously
scheduled activities and an increasing amount of indoor play, most
Nannas and Papas are encouraging alternate ways for grandkids to spend
their free time. They have a unique understanding that the lack of
good, old fashioned backyard play can contribute to children being
overweight, not being active or being stressed from over-scheduling.
"When our children were growing up, I remember the
whole neighborhood being outside playing," said Ellen Farrell, a
grandmother from Wisconsin. "I did not drag my children from activity
to activity, and it seems they got more exercise and had more fun."
But things are different today, and that cultural
shift affects how kids play and their opportunity for creative
expression and problem solving. Parents are afraid of sending their
children to the park by themselves for an impromptu game of ball.
Neighborhood families don't consist of seven or
eight children anymore so younger kids can't learn from much older
siblings. The opportunity of playing with a large group of neighborhood
kids may not be practical and kids are more segmented for playtime.
Perhaps now is an ideal time for grandparents to
lead the initiative to stop and ask the questions: "What happened to
just 'playing?'" and "How can they get back to it?"
When kids play time-tested backyard games like
"cops and robbers," "ghost in the graveyard," or "pitchers hand out"
baseball, they learn important lessons in creativity and negotiation.
These games force children to create their own fun
and navigate their own set of rules. It is this initiative-this
readiness to use their imaginations and creativity-that's lacking in the
opportunities children have today.
Many grandparents pitch in to take care of their
grandchildren as primary caregivers during weekdays while parents work,
as occasional weekend babysitters or as a combination of both. These
multi-generational family ties offer grandparents the chance to pass on
traditions, serve as trusted role models, and help nurture a whole
generation of children.
With their wisdom and insight into the benefits of
a more relaxed daily schedule, grandparents have the opportunity to help
teach their grandkids many things. Plus, by encouraging grandkids to
create their own fun in an unstructured environment, they remind their
own children how simple, fun activities were a big part of their lives
growing up.
"I look back on the days when my children played
through the backyards of our neighborhood," said Mary Jo Howard of
Chicago. "Those images of summer evenings or Sunday afternoons are
memories they cherish."
It is important for grandparents to work to make
unstructured, backyard play a priority and the possibilities are
endless. It can be an unstructured play date where the kids take all the
blankets to the basement to make forts. Or an evening in the backyard
where their friends come with flashlights. Or maybe a "pick your own
teams" baseball game at the park while reading a book on the bench.
Regardless of the activity, the idea is to foster
play that demands creative thinking, imagination and negotiation among
their peers-and to let the kids figure out how to entertain themselves
and make their own fun through play.
A pediatrician once told me, "It's not the kids
with skinned knees that I worry about; it's the ones without a scratch."
Unstructured play is valuable. Kids need time to
round up their peers, play "kick the can," argue about who broke the
rules and even scrape their knees once in a while. Our job as parents
and grandparents is to get the kids playing in the backyard, to make it
a priority and fit it in the schedule. Then sit back and watch-and,
perhaps be there to apply the Band-Aid afterwards.
About the Author
Marlene Byrne is the founder and author of Project
Play, a series of lively children's books meant to introduce nostalgic
games to today's children. Young readers are inspired to get out and
play the way the characters do-by modifying the rules, coming up with
new playing strategies, and supporting one another in backyard play.
Each book features a different backyard game, and the series has
received notable reviews by BusinessWeek, Chicago Parent, South Florida
Parenting Magazine, Time Out Chicago, and many more. For more
information about Project Play, visit
www.projectplaybooks.com.
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Aug. 17, 2009 - Many of today's grandparents play
an important, active role in guiding their grandchildren's development,
including inspiring children to play. In fact, according to the U.S.
Census Bureau Report in 1999, there were 5.5 million children in the
U.S. living with a grandparent-a number that has continued to rise in
recent years.
About the Author