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View Full Version : Experiences cms have you noticed a change in the way children play over the years?



nipper
20-02-2013, 08:03 AM
I'm interested in how children learn to play and was wondering if any of the more experienced childminders (with 10 years plus) experience have noticed a change in their mindees ability to play, especially with all this increase in technology with ipads, televisions and phones etc. Also with regard to parents being 'busier' these days (sorry I say that tongue in cheek).
I realise this doesn't apply to all children but for example when I used to be a teacher I realised that some children spent less time reading which had a considerable impact on their literacy skills, especially writing.

mama2three
20-02-2013, 08:24 AM
Im not so experienced but have dipped in and out for 20 years or so!
I think as a generalisation children dont have the same skills , but do have a whole new set! They may struggle for example to do a jigsaw puzzle by hand , with the dexterity and puzzle solving skills , but give them the same puzzle on the ipad they would be fine! The ability to 'problem solve' is still at the same level , but the way it is learned has changed.
More and more children seem to need to be 'taught' to play , they are so used to having the telly and their gadgets that they struggle to entertain themselves without them.

miffy
20-02-2013, 08:32 AM
Im not so experienced but have dipped in and out for 20 years or so!
I think as a generalisation children dont have the same skills , but do have a whole new set! They may struggle for example to do a jigsaw puzzle by hand , with the dexterity and puzzle solving skills , but give them the same puzzle on the ipad they would be fine! The ability to 'problem solve' is still at the same level , but the way it is learned has changed.
More and more children seem to need to be 'taught' to play , they are so used to having the telly and their gadgets that they struggle to entertain themselves without them.

I agree with this - I have a not quite 4yo who is a whizz on the ipad but struggles to align the pieces in a simple jigsaw!

But I also think if you strip away the technology, switch off the telly and provide lots of open-ended resources then imaginations soon begin to flow.

Often children are so used to having entertainment or "structured" activities provided for them every waking moment it's no wonder they've forgotten how to make their own!

Miffy xx

FussyElmo
20-02-2013, 08:38 AM
Yes its changed but so has modern society.

Children tv is available 24/7 not just certain times. Computers are a part of life for the most of us and its the same for children. I look around my own house and see the technology and sometimes do ban them. The amount of my childrens friends come and say oh you play board games.

There is also the fact that children dont go out and play like they used to.

I dont think childrens playing has changed I think its adapted to the times we live in :thumbsup:

christine e
20-02-2013, 08:41 AM
I think maybe we overstimulate them at times with too much to choose from but I think the ability to play with very little is still there which I recently saw in a couple of my little ones who only had an empty cardboard box to play with - this kept them entertained for ages. I think the same can be said of me sometimes I don't know what resources to put out because I am overwhelmed by the choice. Very interested in seeing how the childminders on here who are choosing to go toyless get on with it

Cx

nipper
20-02-2013, 09:24 AM
Oooh I could quite happily go toyless. Please teach me how:thumbsup:

You mean lots of walking, outdoors type activities, baking, craft, sorting out the socks type toyless activities????:laughing:

chriss
20-02-2013, 09:30 AM
Like the idea of sorting socks....maybe the Los can tackle my laundry basket ;)

TooEarlyForGin?
20-02-2013, 09:33 AM
I agree with the comments on "over stimulation" It makes me smile to think when I started 10 years ago, I had very little "role play/dressing up" resources, just some old clothes, fabrics, hats etc, and remember being told I had to provide more, such as police, doctors....... Now at a recent group meeting it was all about removing the pre-made stuff and provide fabrics, boxes, pegs, to make children use their imagination!! I have a box full of things like old phones, cameras etc and small children will bring them to me saying "broken" I will try and show how to pretend play, but the will say things like "new batteries" and don't seem to want to use imagination. One of the other major things I have noticed is the constant need for reassurance. For example, one of my older girls will be doing a picture for mum and every time she draws a line, will say, "look do you like it?" Or when playing constantly say "look I am doing x now" iykwim. I don't mind, but it seems to cry for attention as though they are not getting the basic feeling of confidence in their overall lives.

nipper
20-02-2013, 10:03 AM
Like the idea of sorting socks....maybe the Los can tackle my laundry basket ;)

My husband has the socks with the coloured heels and toes. Now that would be a good pairing activity.

nipper
20-02-2013, 10:06 AM
One of the other major things I have noticed is the constant need for reassurance. For example, one of my older girls will be doing a picture for mum and every time she draws a line, will say, "look do you like it?" Or when playing constantly say "look I am doing x now" iykwim. I don't mind, but it seems to cry for attention as though they are not getting the basic feeling of confidence in their overall lives.

Yes I have too. It certainly makes you think doesn't it?

mum24
20-02-2013, 10:20 AM
I agree with the comments on "over stimulation" It makes me smile to think when I started 10 years ago, I had very little "role play/dressing up" resources, just some old clothes, fabrics, hats etc, and remember being told I had to provide more, such as police, doctors....... Now at a recent group meeting it was all about removing the pre-made stuff and provide fabrics, boxes, pegs, to make children use their imagination!! I have a box full of things like old phones, cameras etc and small children will bring them to me saying "broken" I will try and show how to pretend play, but the will say things like "new batteries" and don't seem to want to use imagination. One of the other major things I have noticed is the constant need for reassurance. For example, one of my older girls will be doing a picture for mum and every time she draws a line, will say, "look do you like it?" Or when playing constantly say "look I am doing x now" iykwim. I don't mind, but it seems to cry for attention as though they are not getting the basic feeling of confidence in their overall lives.

I find this too, you have written exactly what i would have done. However, I have had one young only child whose family are not well off by any means and he has a fantastic imagination. I just love it when he is here, as he can take a bit of string and a peg and make loads of imaginary games, he is amazing. I can sit and watch him for ages, he really makes me smile. However, he is not very confident when faced with other children who poo poo his ideas and just want everything to be what it is, if you know what I mean. A box is a box, a peg is a peg and they find it difficult to make believe.
I have to really work with them to not have everything perfect.
And do not get me started on blooming Disney....

phoenix2010
20-02-2013, 10:28 AM
I have one child who constantly asks for cbeebies and snacktime all day long
and if we go out anywhere after about 30 minutes he is asking to go home and watch cbeebies
such a shame , his mum is a primary teacher too so Im a bit surprised he is so obsessed with tv

when i was childminding years ago , we never had the tv on , now it seems kids need to have their fix every day

I try to limit it to 30 minutes in the afternoon but the nagging does make me buckle sometimes

Its not as if they have nothing to play with , they have sufficient choice of toys and activities

hectors house
20-02-2013, 12:13 PM
20 years ago I only had 2 or 3 toy boxes where now I have about 20 - back then children happily played with the same toys day after day and used their imaginations without being prompted - our coffee table was a den or turned upside down to be a boat, one little boy's dad was a mechanic so mindee was often laid under table mending a "car". Some days even after the children have chosen their own toys/resources within 10 mins they are lying around saying they are bored.

TooEarlyForGin?
20-02-2013, 04:59 PM
I have one child who constantly asks for cbeebies and snacktime all day long
and if we go out anywhere after about 30 minutes he is asking to go home and watch cbeebies
such a shame

I have this especially from the parents that seem to frown upon the TV, their kids seem to know all the characters.

Also the snack thing is a big issue, we can't go anywhere without drinks and snacks ( fruit or veg bits) even my mum commented they never carried drinks and food everywhe Children seem to expect to eat every couple of hours during the day. I have been trying to limit my snacktime as children are not eating lunch properly. One little girl will rarely eat her lunch and then in an hour start asking for a snack and she's only just turned 2. When I say no, queue lots of screaming and tantrums, unfortunately I only have her three short days a week so find it difficult to break the habit

jillplum
20-02-2013, 05:35 PM
Yep the snack business is crazy sometimes. One 18 month old just snacks all day then Mum says she wont eat her meals!!!! Child constantly has a bottle of milk on the go having a few mouthfuls every few minutes. No wonder shes not hungry at mealtimes. When she comes to me I get rid of the half drunk bottle and dont give her another till after her dinner. Children dont need to eat and drink constantly or they never learn to recognise when they are truly hungry.

Dragonfly
20-02-2013, 05:53 PM
I have also I"m afraid watched children that go to nursery and childminders and I ( think you are not going to like this!) they find it hard to use their imagination some of the time because so many activities are planned/laid out for them. It's the case of finish one thing what are we going to do now ?.
Food is also a issue, when my children were young, grown up now, we didn't have oh it's 10 am snack time, has any child shrivelled and wasted away from not having their 10 am snack?( can understand if they are missing breakfast or not eating well at home) but I really thing feeding them a lot mid morning and then expecting them to eat lunch is too much.And maybe possibly making them over eat??

blue bear
20-02-2013, 06:06 PM
Uummmm, interesting question, I have a variety of children with differing backgrounds, I would say the children with less material things tend to be the ones who improvise the most. Children Definetly have more technology gadgets that are often used for baby sitting at home.
Tv here is a real treat it has to be earned and probably only goes on half a dozen times in a year. I love being outside and this follows through to the children who love being outside too, we have a very well kitted out playroom but it's not the resources the children are interested in to be honest it's each other and me, spending time together sharing ideas and bouncing off each other. I don't think that has changed over the years, it's always been the one thing that parents mention when passing my name on, how much I play with the children and how we are always out and about.

I find it's the older children that stands out as having changed, now they seem to need to be told what to make, they don't use their own instinct and imagination so much as years ago, the education system seems to have gotten all hung up on the curriculum and the fun has disappeared somehow. they like computer games because they tell you what to do, what happens next there is no real imagination needed and they know when things are right or wrong.
Also with older children they seem to be less confident to take risks and need lots of reassurance.

Children I've had since babies tend to continue with imaginative play it's the children I've taken on at aged 5 or six that most stand out as being different to children of the same age 20 years ago. If that makes any sense.

Sarsar3NCH
20-02-2013, 06:43 PM
I am finding lack of imagination a problem too, the older preschoolers need ideas on what to do with open ended resources and constant reassurance of what they are doing "look at what I'm doing" all the time and then "what shall we do next"?

Little Puddings
21-02-2013, 09:16 AM
I haven't been minding that long just 6 years but I do find some children do get bored quickly and want new toys out... my own girls they are 8 and 10 can play for hours with the same thing, I have been off this week as I have an essay due in today so they have had to entertain themselves, my youngest spent hours playing with the Playmobile set. They often get odd bits together making games up. I used too have two afterschoolers and they happen to best friends and sometimes I think they used to come up with things while at school as soon as we get through the door mine would run upstairs to get what they needed for their game, often I had things planned for after school but they were just not interested.

I started to read to my son at 3 mths old every night so girls both had stories from more or less birth. They all love books (often catch them all reading in bed far to late at night) and they all write their own little stories. They do say children who have not been read to from an early age struggle to see outside the box and when starting school they find it difficult to 'read' the books with out words. My three do have great imagination :)

I have a little one who wants the telly on but I don't like it on as it is not good for them, I was looking for mp3 albums on Amazon on my phone and played the samples to the 3yr old and she could name about two thirds tv programmes the dongs were from just by hearing 20 odd seconds of it. I did not know half of themS myself.

S

jillplum
21-02-2013, 09:31 AM
I am a beleiver in a certain amount of what I call benign neglect! If you constantly keep kids occupied with activities and tv and clubs, they never have time to learn to keep themselves amused. I often pretend to be too busy in the kitchen or with the baby so the others have to go and find something to do. I obviously keep an eye on them and give them a new idea if they are really stuck. Too much adult intervention can stifle imagination in my view.

Little Puddings
21-02-2013, 09:40 AM
I am a beleiver in a certain amount of what I call benign neglect! If you constantly keep kids occupied with activities and tv and clubs, they never have time to learn to keep themselves amused. I often pretend to be too busy in the kitchen or with the baby so the others have to go and find something to do. I obviously keep an eye on them and give them a new idea if they are really stuck. Too much adult intervention can stifle imagination in my view.

I do sneak off too sometimes, I love sitting on the stairs just outside my livingroom and just listen to them... :)

loocyloo
21-02-2013, 09:51 AM
I am a beleiver in a certain amount of what I call benign neglect! If you constantly keep kids occupied with activities and tv and clubs, they never have time to learn to keep themselves amused. I often pretend to be too busy in the kitchen or with the baby so the others have to go and find something to do. I obviously keep an eye on them and give them a new idea if they are really stuck. Too much adult intervention can stifle imagination in my view.

i totally agree!

DS spent alot of yesterday afternoon wandering around not knowing what to do as i said NO tv/pc/ds !!! eventually he settled down and did some fantastic drawings.

my LO are currently playing some complicated game involving all wearing hats, using the puppets and playing with the stones !!!! i was sitting watching them, they noticed and all moved away!

phoenix2010
21-02-2013, 11:06 AM
Had to come back to this thread today , I have a 3 yr old here this morning who normally comes in the afternoons only and spends mornings at home with mum

usually he can amuse himself pretty well in the afternoons whether hes the only child here or there are others to play with

but this morning he does not know what to do with himself , there are plenty of things for him to do , drawing , animals , happyland, the kitchen is out , and a couple of construction toys he loves

and all he has done all morning is ask me when he can have his telly on , " Mummy lets me watch me telly" , Ive explained that we dont have the telly on and there are plenty of toys and 2 other children to play with , Ive suggested several other things he could do that are not out but he has firmly plonked himself on the sofa with the grumpiest face on that he can manage and every 5 minutes comes up to me and asks me when he is going to have his telly on

followed by "I want to go home then, I dont want to play"

Hes wandering around , then sitting back on the sofa , has made a couple of attempts to play with toys but then comes back to asking about the telly

He obviously sits in front of the tv in the mornings and cant seem to process the fact that today is different and he should adapt ,

mum says he gets really bored at home and hated last week being at home without friends to play with and he really looks forward to coming every day

Its like he has forgotten how to play because his routine has changed

Im not suggesting anything else to him this morning and Im just going to let him sort himself out now, we are going out after lunch thank goodness so hopefully he will forget about the telly.

ha ha just looked across and hes fallen asleep, must be bored :)

lisa1968
21-02-2013, 01:51 PM
I've noticed a big difference.None of the children I look after know how to amuse themselves! One boy lives for football-which is fine if he can get outside-but cannot amuse himself with anything else if he can't.I have loads of resourses for all age groups,but nothing that appeals to him if it's nothing to do with football.
Another boy is allowed to play Black Opps,watch Predator and Piranha and plays with guns,etc at home.He's 9. Every game he plays at my house, I have to stop as it always involves blood and gore,shooting or death. I gave him Playdough last week-and he made a man from which he proceeded to cut the heart out!..but when I stop these games,he doesn't know what to do with himself.
Other children are only content with jumping on the sofa-I think not!
......and as we rarely have the tv on.......well you'd think I'd taken a kidney away from them!DD sometimes has her Wii on in the holidays,and the kids practically break their necks trying to watch her play on it!

I do find it sad as I feel that these kids are missing out on something special. As a kid, i spent hours-sometimes days!-on imaginative games but that seems to be lost now.:(

Little Puddings
21-02-2013, 02:41 PM
I've noticed a big difference.None of the children I look after know how to amuse themselves! One boy lives for football-which is fine if he can get outside-but cannot amuse himself with anything else if he can't.I have loads of resourses for all age groups,but nothing that appeals to him if it's nothing to do with football.
Another boy is allowed to play Black Opps,watch Predator and Piranha and plays with guns,etc at home.He's 9. Every game he plays at my house, I have to stop as it always involves blood and gore,shooting or death. I gave him Playdough last week-and he made a man from which he proceeded to cut the heart out!..but when I stop these games,he doesn't know what to do with himself.
Other children are only content with jumping on the sofa-I think not!
......and as we rarely have the tv on.......well you'd think I'd taken a kidney away from them!DD sometimes has her Wii on in the holidays,and the kids practically break their necks trying to watch her play on it!

I do find it sad as I feel that these kids are missing out on something special. As a kid, i spent hours-sometimes days!-on imaginative games but that seems to be lost now.:(

I have many fall out with my nearly 13 year old son over xbox games, games like Call of Duty are banned in our house though I will admit he does have a few 16 rated games but they are medival games and the other is Halo where there are aliens rather than people... he finds it hard as all his friends have the games we don't allow. It does make me feel bad as a parent sometimes but we have to stick to what we believe. His dad is a former intelligence analyst but is now retired from the army so to us it is important that our children are not subject to the violence that these games teach our children. My husband is a martial artist but also teaches verbal self defence and he has done a lot of reading into killology and the effects these games have on children. He says he often has discussions with adults/parents who say 'oh but it is ok, my son/daughter will be fine etc' but when he asks if they would let their child watch an 18 rated film they say 'oh no, why would I?' What is the difference????
It really annoys me at times. I once had a 4yr old who was allowed to watch Primevil and they couldn't understand why he wouldn't sleep... I wouldn't let my 9 year old watch it at the time...
Some parents just don't care...

hectors house
21-02-2013, 08:58 PM
I have a box of play mobile that used to belong to my daughters, they used to spend hours playing with it, setting up the zoo, making up stories - one of my mindees is 4 years old, every week he selects the playmobile from the choose own toys picture selection, but rarely gets more than a couple of things out of the box - I have tried playing with it with him, setting up the zoo pretending a family are going to the zoo, buying tickets, taking a picnic etc but he doesn't come up with any ideas of his own and never remembers any of my ideas for when he asks to play with it again. He loves books and reading and I have encouraged him to make his own books - he does the pictures and I write down his stories, so he has imagination for this but can't use it during role play and small world play.

Ripeberry
21-02-2013, 09:37 PM
Another sad fact is that children don't have the freedom of the open air as many of us did. As a child in the 70's I practically lived outdoors in the summer months. Dens, campfires and making bows and arrows was my favorite thing to do :)

nipper
21-02-2013, 10:17 PM
Yeah, Christmas Day we took our two out on their new bikes for a ride-around...the streets were deserted!

lynncjt
22-02-2013, 08:05 AM
Another sad fact is that children don't have the freedom of the open air as many of us did. As a child in the 70's I practically lived outdoors in the summer months. Dens, campfires and making bows and arrows was my favorite thing to do :)

This is so true, I think parents want their children to have the experience but don't want to do it themselves! I have had lots of leads from Facebook which I think is due to fact that I have lots of pictures of children outside, beach, park, garden etc.

jillplum
22-02-2013, 03:55 PM
This is so true, I think parents want their children to have the experience but don't want to do it themselves! I have had lots of leads from Facebook which I think is due to fact that I have lots of pictures of children outside, beach, park, garden etc.

That is an interesting point. I have a large garden and we spend a lot of time outside and at the park and woods etc. I must ask if parents chose me in part because of that.

mushpea
22-02-2013, 04:24 PM
I definatly agree with the lack of imagination , when I was a kid we made up games from sticks and mud and pepbbles, my daughter has a brilliant imagination and now writes some beautiful stories from what she's acted out in her room,, my son has always from a very young age only been able to play 'people fighting' or games that invovle characters fighting wether this is because he has adhd and aspergers traits or wether its just how he is I dont know, they werent brought up ay differently.
I mind a 6yrold girl and her 8yrold brother, she has a lovely imagination and loves to play teachers where as he is more in to building but when playing playdough the other day he started using the knife to attack his character and then blood and eyballs started popping out:eek:, the playdough characters not his :laughing:, but I did stop it and when he asked why I had to explain its scary for the younger children and his reply was 'well how do I play with it then',
the 2yrold I have has a serious lack of imagination and seems to only be able to play when told what to do although we did have a break thorugh yesterday when playing ata friends, he started to play with stuff himself:clapping:
I once emptyied the playroom of all toys and put in boxes, plastic tubs, glass beads, pompoms, ribbons etc and the imagination really flowed and it was lovely to see and the kids really enjoyed themselves. the only reason I put toys back in the mix was because I didnt know how neither ofsted or the parents would view me not having toys.