family

If you’ve been reading child development literature you know that play is essential for optimal human growth. Sometimes we forget, however, that teenagers also want and need to play. In fact, play is beneficial at every age, and adults have a lot to gain from it whether they are parents or not.
 

Playing can be initiated and happen in many ways. As an educator, my teaching journey has led me to explore the deeper aspects and benefits of child-lead learning, much of which happens through play. It can be very difficult for adults to be patient, step back and observe; however, uninterrupted play initiated by children serves their future selves through a variety of ways. 

Now there’s a new revolution. Once again, the voices are rising up. The message is singular and strong. It’s coming from Hollywood and Hosmer and all places in between. Celebrities and teenagers and my seven-year-old. It won’t waver and it won’t disappear. Kindness. #bekind. It’s everywhere.

Some of us look back on our teenage years with fondness as we recall the freedom, friends, and fun we had. A sense of nostalgia might have us smiling about a simpler time, but sometimes we forget the pressures that go along with being young.