The Missing Fun Factor

After reading one of my blogs on reading, a mother in USA sent me this:

“In USA, there is so much stress on reading right from the time a baby is born. Libraries have story time for babies and toddlers and there is a hands-on activity 3 times a week. The children learn alphabets and phonics while they are in preschool and some of them start reading small 3-4 letter words. By kindergarten, those who start earlier are fluent readers, reading higher grade books.”

After reading it, I had to lie down for 10 minutes to recover. Thank goodness, I was born before the discovery that reading was an “educational activity”. All the fuss and bother might have put me off books for good.

My only question here is “Where is the FUN?” How many of these fluent readers are going to turn into passionate readers? And how many will associate reading with work and not play?  Why is a perfectly fun and simple activity turning into rocket science, complete with phonics, assessment and fluency?

The only word from the passage that makes any sense is “stress”. Why is a happy mother-baby-cozy-time-with-a-book turning into an organized, competitive sport? (Of course, mothers are checking out their child’s reading proficiency vis-à-vis other kids during these sessions. And freaking out!!! Unless this is all happening on Planet Krypton.)

Play time is increasingly being replaced by organized sports. Simple games, cycling and horsing around in the park are rapidly disappearing from a child’s life.

Apparently one school shortened the recess for the Primary Section to squeeze in more academics because “fooling around on monkey bars is not going to get these kids ahead in life.”

All play is becoming work. We swing from one extreme to another, instead of taking the sensible, middle-path between indifference and mania.

Squeezing out the last drop of educational benefit

But recess and monkey bars are striking back, thanks to scientific research. Both recess and play are now being touted as being educationally beneficial to children. Whew!! Thank goodness, there is some justification for children’s leisure time! We could hardly let 8-years-olds tear around on cycles or allow them to frolic in the park with friends just because it is blasted good fun!!

Monkeying around, scientifically

Now, that it has been given the thumbs up by Science, monkey- bars-time is serious stuff. Check out the instructions from a website which teaches you how to.

 “Blah, blah, blah……

• ·         Swing yourself with your legs to give you momentum. Utilize your arms and hands to get you further. Try skipping a bar in between each swing.

• ·         Your feet can help too, by sticking them under another bar while you are hanging upside down. It will help you to hang forever if you wanted to set a record!”

Excuse me. I need to go enjoy a little lie down while I still can. News is in that the lazy afternoon loll has been rechristened “power nap” because of evidence that it can boost memory, cognitive skills, creativity, and energy level.

Photos: Stuart Miles

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2664