When my children were young, we had play dates. Each child would select an activity for everyone for a morning. My son’s favorite activity was going to the playground at the lake. As he grew older, he wanted to try fishing. We bought him one of those fishing reels for children to practice his angling skills. As he grew older, fishing became a lifelong passion.
As teenagers he and his fishing buddy would venture to the most dangerous places in search of bass and other fish. I tried my best to discourage his sense of “adventure” but he constantly outwitted me until I gave up.
When he entered college, he majored in Marine Biology to pursue his childhood love.
We tend to “downplay” the importance of play in children’s lives. The Academy of Pediatricians states that play is fundamentally important in developing skills such as problem solving, collaboration and creativity.
Multicultural Art 4 Kids 