PLAY AND PLAYTHINGS by Mrs. Luella B. Priddy

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 22, 1900

PLAY AND PLAYTHINGS.

By Mrs. Luella B. Priddy

MRS. LUELLA B. PRIDDY.

Playfulness is inwrought in the very nature of every healthy child, therefore recreation must have an important part in his development. It is an effort to use his God-given faculties to the extent of his physical and mental strength. The playtime of life is the learning-how time.

During the first weeks of life, an infant seems to use only those faculties which relate to physical sensations. But after it begins to look around and observe its surroundings, it soon begins to handle and otherwise investigate, in order to learn the use of things. Then the child begins to play, and to imitate the conduct of those who have the care of him.

When, by repeated attempts at playing anything, the child reaches that stage of development where he is able to do the real thing, the play is dropped, and the work begins. At least this is the natural process. The child's training may be so entirely wrong that he does not ever want to do the real thing, but prefers to keep up the play, thus leading an aimless, idle life. His little attempts at helpfulness should be encouraged. Master Two-year-old, following papa from the wood pile, with his one small stick in his chubby arms, experiences just as much satisfaction as he will in later years in accomplishing greater things, for he has done his best, and he does not know but that his best is just as great as anyone's can be.

The question confronts the Christian parent and teacher, How can I so train the child in my care that he will love industry and study, and how can I teach him to use his mind and heart and hands to God's glory, and not for his own selfish gratification? Does this disposition to play have any bearing on his future well-being? And if so, how can it be directed in proper channels?

What does the child do when he plays?—He imitates and investigates. Then it is of the first importance that he see only those things that are worthy of imitation, as he is liable to copy anything he sees done. First of all let loving-kindness, truthfulness, neatness, orderliness, and all of those moral traits that we wish him to possess, be the copy. Then in addition to that he needs the opportunity to develop physical soundness, and a skillful use of his hands, as well as to be trained in those faculties that are considered purely intellectual.

Now, what playthings should a child have? The question can easily be settled by considering the object to be gained by their use. Is the toy under consideration one that can really be used in doing things? The child needs tools with which he can work, or imitate work; and if provided with them, will construct many of his own playthings. He should not have so many playthings that he feels no need of using his own invention in constructing things, as they will retard rather than assist development.

A little girl spent a rainy morning indoors with a small dry-goods box and an old furniture catalogue. The box she used for a doll

house, and the furniture she cut from the catalogue, using bright bits of paper for the rugs, etc. She was just as happy as she could have been with a boughten doll house, and at the same time she was taking lessons in skillfulness and ingenuity.

The child should learn to find enjoyment in performing the everyday duties that lie in his path, instead of seeking pleasure for his own sake. His tools should be of a proper size to handle. A grown person would find it hard to enjoy gardening with a hoe whose handle was nearly twice as long as he was tall. And if a toy is so small that it is of no practical use, the child soon tires of it, and it is left lying around in everyone's way, and a habit of carelessness in caring for his belongings is encouraged.

It is good for the child to come in contact with mother earth. The mystery of swelling seeds and growing plants is a wonder and a delight to him, and he can be taught very early to look to God as the Author of it all. He will enjoy having some little spot where he can dig all he pleases, and plant seeds to his heart's content. If he can not have a bit of ground for the purpose, a box of earth and a few seeds would be better than no garden.

When God made our first parents, he made them a home, and planted a garden, and taught them how to keep it. So the home-making trades,—building and planting,—are a relic of the sinless state, and they are also to exist in the future life (see Isa. 65: 21, 22), and we can hardly find a position where the knowledge of them is not valuable, even in this life.

The man or woman who has not learned to utilize the resources of nature, is a helpless individual, unless provided with an abundance of money, or surrounded by others who know how to do these useful things. And what woman is not made more womanly by a knowledge of housewifely arts? The little girl instinctively plays at housekeeping. At first a few small tins and a small rolling-pin, or, in its place, a round bottle, or the end sawed off a broom handle, will satisfy her needs for cooking utensils, to enable her to cook “just like mamma.” The housekeeping instinct should be cultivated.

Thimble and scissors, needles and thread, are really necessaries. I have seen mothers who fretted over a child losing needles and wasting thread, when an occasional nickel would not have been refused for candy or gum, or other worse than useless things. Why not let the little girl have a needle and spool of thread of her own, with a box in which to keep them? The sense of ownership may lead her to take better care of it. Give her a corner of a shelf or drawer where she can keep her box unmolested by others. Very likely she will want to sew whenever mamma sews, and dolly may get some wonderful additions to her wardrobe, but the little hands gain skill by practice. Children usually want to do the same things that they see papa and mamma do, and they want to do it at the same time. If the little girl sees her mamma putting her sewing things carefully away when she finishes her work, she will want to do the same with her own little workbox, especially if she has a special place to put it. If the child is not told just where to put her things, she will not know but putting them on a chair, or sofa, or even on the floor, is putting them away.

The home is for children as well as for older persons, and they must have some place for their work, even though it may seem to us to be only play, or the hands will never be trained so as to be able to work out the difficult problems of life.