Do your children still play?

[mamaofthree]

I am wondering how many children actually still play... mine do, but they seem to be the exception not the rule.

h
eta: you can pick more then one option if it applies!

[Polliwog]

It seems like you are asking two different questions. "Do your children still play" and "Do your children still play make believe."

[mazajo]

My older DSs (now 17, 16, & 14) never really did play make believe. They were always more into sports, video games, and building with legos, that sort of stuff. I used to try to get them to play pretend with me and they'd just look at me like I lost my mind.

Now my 4yo DS, make believe is practically all he wants to do. And I love it

[*bejeweled*]

Yes. DD likes to play with her dolls, play teacher, play restaurant, play doctor, play police, play with Barbies. I it.

[carfreemama]

Yep, we're still well into pretend and make-believe here with dd, who is 6; though the nature and themes, as well as the complexity of the play changes. We do a lot of puppet-play here with the whole family. I swear our groundhog IS real and he talks!

[Alyantavid]

My almost 4 year old does alot. My 8 year old still does some make believe play but not as much anymore.

[caiesmommy]

My 3 year old plays make believe all the time.
So does my 15m old dd. Hard to believe, but she plays with the little people barn/house making the animals and people interact, go potty, slid off the roof. She may not be able to vocalize what she is thinking but its obvious shes got a little story going on! Beyond cute!

[One_Girl]

My dd still plays. She especially loves anything that uses her imagination. She does have one friend who doesn't like to play and says he hates using his imagination and this makes thier friendship a little boring for her at times. The rest of her friends play and use thier imaginations constantly.

[Jessy1019]

My 4 and 7 year olds both play make believe a lot, acting things out with their dolls, each other, or just themselves.

[ShadowMoon]

DS plays make believe all the time. He'll also play with his toys, instruments, etc if they're around.

[mamaofthree]

Originally Posted by Polliwog

It seems like you are asking two different questions. "Do your children still play" and "Do your children still play make believe."

i don't think so. i guess that is what i consider playing. i mean i think building houses with blocks and ships with legos is make believe, but that is me. lol

h

[AllisonR]

Mine do.

IMO, this poll could be much more interesting if it was worded:
yes ages 2-4
no ages 2-4
yes ages....
no ages....

Right now it looks like older kids don't play together, but it is just as likely that parents of older kids have not answered the poll.

[Tigerchild]

I have "almost-7" (as they make sure that I refer to them!) twin boys, and an 8 year old daughter.

They do still play make-believe, but the format has shifted dramatically. It's growing less and less about objects (lego guys, barbies, animal figures) and more about writing (making books and comics, and then plays based on those stories). THey also talk a lot about different lands and scenarios they have created, just verbally, sometimes without acting out or any props at all.

I know a lot of older kids and teens that do the same. Just because they drop the external props, IMO, doesn't mean that the teen who loses herself in her artwork, poetry, or short stories/novels isn't playing make believe. I've certainly never given it up, and I'll be 36 this year! When I am working on a storie, I get great pleasure from thinking about it, imagining scenes, making up and playing with characters in my head just as if they were dolls, ect. I just don't have the external props.

Maybe we should have a poll to see how many of us mamas like to play for playing's sake, that doesn't really have too much to do with our kids. (though I admit, I let my kids join in MY play sometimes. Just like they sometimes let me me into THEIR play!)

[mamaofthree]

i am wondering if people don't know they can answer more then once... i forgot to put that in the poll name.
i could actually say that my dd who is soon to be 16 will on occasion play with her younger brothers. i forgot to put that in when i answered.

i guess what got me to start this was that a know a few people IRL who have children who do not play except computer games and they are pretty young (imo) like 7. that just seems really young to not be playing. my dd stopped playing make believe on her own at about 14. my kids play hard everyday, and they start out younger and younger (i have 5 kids) because the bigger kids are doing it. they don't always need props, but they do have all sorts of wild adventures, i remember doing that as a child also. i think i stopped playing at about 14 or so by myself, but i would play with my younger brother often until he stopped at about 13 or so. i was about 17 by then. lol i got married at 18. heehee.

h

[Tigerchild]

Ahhh....see I still consider computer games (esp. those played with other people) to be playing. Why doesn't that count as play? If a kid loved to play card games or Cranium Jr. or Hungry Hungry Hippos, does that not count as play?

I guess if you're making the distinction between "make believe" I guess. Though I know as a teen I did lots of make believe play with D&D, and I really have fun playing computer games.

I think "make believe" is only ONE kind of playing. It doesn't have a stranglehold as the only way. It's okay if you don't relate to gamer play of course! But I really don't get why so many people act as if gamers don't "play" or what they do is somehow less than!

[*bejeweled*]

I totally understand your point. Yesterday my 7 yo DD wanted to play Club Penguin on the computer instead of going outside in the to play with her friends. I put my foot down, and out she went. The kids ended up laying out a blanket and pretend playing a bunch of games all evening. I refuse to let her sit in front of a computer if she can be out with real life friends.

So now, she comes home from school, does homework, plays piano, and goes outside. If there's time leftover she can jump on Club Penguin. Play time is precious.

Originally Posted by mamaofthree

i am wondering if people don't know they can answer more then once... i forgot to put that in the poll name.
i could actually say that my dd who is soon to be 16 will on occasion play with her younger brothers. i forgot to put that in when i answered.

i guess what got me to start this was that a know a few people IRL who have children who do not play except computer games and they are pretty young (imo) like 7. that just seems really young to not be playing. my dd stopped playing make believe on her own at about 14. my kids play hard everyday, and they start out younger and younger (i have 5 kids) because the bigger kids are doing it. they don't always need props, but they do have all sorts of wild adventures, i remember doing that as a child also. i think i stopped playing at about 14 or so by myself, but i would play with my younger brother often until he stopped at about 13 or so. i was about 17 by then. lol i got married at 18. heehee.

h

[velochic]

Interesting terminology for "playing". We separate "screen time" and "playing". Video games would be part of screen time if dd (8) played them (she doesn't). Dd is allowed to "play" as much as she wants. Screen time, which for her is PBS or videos is limited. I absolutely do not think that anything related to a screen is playing... that's vegging. Most people like to do that, in moderation; some can self-regulate, others can't.

As an only child, if her playmates weren't imaginary, dd would have far fewer people to play with. There are no kids her age in our neighborhood and her school is an hour away. She frequently "pretend plays" with her polly pockets and stuffed animals. She is outside a lot, so that kind of play is probably what others might call "exploration". She's usually very dirty when she's ready to come in the house. To me, that's playing, and yes, she does so every day.

[suziek]

what else would they do?

My oldest might not play as much make believe as the others (although he does still engage in some)but then again I haveno idea what runs trhough his head when he's alone in the yard,all dressed up in his Yankee uniform, tossing balls at his pitchback. I think he must be engaged in some kind of imagining that is as important to him as the play kitchen work my 3 year old is into.

[sioleabha]

Well, yesterday my 11 year old and 7 year old sons were exploring the woods and making their "clubhouse" -- that's playing to me. I have seven kids aged 20 months to 12 years, and they all play like that all the time.

[onthemove]

my youngest dd(7) lives in a make believe world and her older sister(9) went through a stage 3-5 yrs and then seemed to grow out of it.