They are a Head Taller Than Themselves

I was at Archie McPhee's in Seattle, the best store in the world, when I suddenly found an impossibly tiny boy at my knees. He said, eyes wide, "You're here."

It took me a moment, but I finally recognized him as one of my two-year old students. Seeing him out of context had thrown me a bit. Here, out in the world, he stuck me as so much younger than he did at school, not just smaller, but less mature, less assured. At school, he was a leader amongst his peers, always the first to try new things, bold, even a bit cocky, but here was, well, wee in every way.

This has happened to me before -- in parks, restaurants, and on the street -- running into children who seem physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally younger than they do at school. 

Psychologist Lev Vygotsky wrote, "In play a child always behaves beyond their average age, above their daily behavior; in play it is as though they were a head taller than themself."

This is what happens when we get to know children in an environment where they have permission to play. 

When we play, we are our emergent selves. When we play we are in a state of becoming, of learning, of leaving old ideas behind, of toppling the status quo. When we play, we are making way for the new ideas, for the new status quo we are discovering, exploring, and creating through our self-selected course of study.

Parents often remark that their children are so much better "behaved" at school, more "cooperative," and more "mature." That's because at our school, they are a head taller than themselves. 

******

I've been writing about play-based learning almost every day for the past 15 years. I've recently gone back through the 4000+ blog posts(!) I've written since 2009. Here are my 10 favorite in a nifty free download. Click here to get yours.

I put a lot of time and effort into this blog. If you'd like to support me please consider a small contribution to the cause. Thank you!