small stream at the bottom of the road and to build a boat that would carry three children on about six inches of water . In the boat we were going to explore the unknown vastness of Cape Town ’ s Southern Suburbs in search of treasure . It wasn ’ t about succeeding – it was about trying out new ideas , working together to figure out the best way to achieve our goals , and to negotiate roles and responsibilities . It was more of a role play than a genuine attempt at pre-pubertal engineering .
And that ’ s what makes play so important , so interesting and so much fun . While it may be “ directed ”, it ’ s process-oriented rather than goal-oriented . It was the attempt to build the dam that counted , not actually having a dam . It ’ s like kittens chasing the spot of light reflected from a watch . It ’ s not the catching of the spot that matters ( although the kitten thinks it is ), it ’ s the attempt . In the same way that young animals learn the skills they will need to hunt ( or , in the case of prey animals , to avoid becoming lunch ), children ’ s play is more than just a way to kill time till puberty . It ’ s the only way we can learn the skills we need to become effective and competent adults .
The early 20th-century Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky , who pioneered the study of cognitive development in children , claimed that role playing , imagination and play-acting are an essential part of becoming human – of learning to think and to be creative .
Imagination , he claimed , arises from action . This is illustrated by his famous example of a child who wants to ride a horse , but , lacking a horse , picks up a stick , sits astride it and “ rides ” it . This action – this seemingly meaningless game – is essential for the child to develop the ability to think abstractly . It is a step in the process of separating the idea of a horse from the actual physical 800-kg flesh-and-blood-and-bone reality of a horse . Children who don ’ t get to exercise their imaginations in this way grow up to be … well , let ’ s just say there is some truth in the idiom , “ All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy .”
If you look around you will find any number of so-called “ play ” programmes in which to enrol your children before they go to pre-school – there ’ s Moms and Tots aerobics , art classes , music classes , drumming for kids , extra-mural languages ( one African , one European ), maths enrichment , karate for kids and Pilates for pre-schoolers . And each and every one of them is supervised by an adult . These are all great options for when your children need to be looked after and kept safe . But the best , best , absolutely best way your child can develop into a fully functional adult is through play . They can learn art by making mud pies , learn music by chanting nonsense verse , develop balance and strength by climbing trees , and become numerate by playing marbles . By all means join in , because it will be loads of fun – but don ’ t take over and don ’ t dictate . Watch and learn . See how those shapeless things created out of mud become intergalactic water-pixies ( or whatever – the limit is the end of the known universe ).
Having made the decision to live in a place where your children can safely explore both their physical environments and their imaginations , it ’ s important to give them space to do just that . First prize is a safe communal place in the estate where all the kids can play . But , even if there is such a shared zone , it ’ s worth creating a space for your children that is just theirs , where they can play on their own or with invited friends . Set aside a small part of the garden with no delicate or precious plants or structures – a place where they can exercise their budding engineering tendencies , build a dreamworld and push the boundaries of reality .
After all , what ’ s more important , growing beautiful roses or growing beautiful minds ?
I know we ' ve come a long way , We ' re changing day to day ,
But tell me , where do the children play ?
Cat Stevens .