The more I spend my days around five, six, and seven, year olds, the more I take notice of their great perception for “primordial play.” All of those impulses, idiosyncrasies, and randomness that constitute their play
The more I spend my days around five, six, and seven, year olds, the more I take notice of their great perception for “primordial play.” All of those impulses, idiosyncrasies, and randomness that constitute their play are a much deeper anthropology connection then just behavior we can easily be chalked up as just imaginative play, or status quo – “aggressive play.” When we stop to consider all these childlike fantasies that become the core of their ancient stories that allow their play to unfold, one may find the primordial side to play that very well has origin and shape throughout the span of history, as well… two legged beings.
The sticks and stones kids use to construct bows, arrows, spears, and daggers, on these ancient subtenant tools that go back thousands of years, become important instruments of play. And the gathering of loose straw, collecting balls in the play yard as eggs, or picking and collecting herbs to heal wombs, the erecting of forts, and collecting of flowers – and finding ways to organize the hunt and gather, become the roots of play. There interests lie in organizing, forming whimsical social gathering, all revolving around human nature. John Dewey makes implications to this primordial connection among young people in The School and Society:
Many anthropologists have told us there are certain identities in the child interests with those of primitive life. There is a sort of natural reoccurrence of the child mind to the typical activities of primitive people peoples; witness the hut which they boy likes to build in the yard, playing hunt, with bows, arrows, spears, and so on. Again the questions come: What are we to do with this interest – are we to ignore it, or just excite and draw it out? Or shall we get a hold of it and direct it to something ahead, something better?
Dewey proposes important questions for educators and parents involved in the lives of kids. This degree of play does hold meaning and value to the ones acting out these primordial like roles and it would be a crime to squelch it or make it a forbidden act, because lives inquiries, questions, and answers provide a way for kids to demystify the complexities around life.
This behavior is definitely not easy to simply ignore because the intensity may cause certain conflict to arise. Or the opposite cause and effect from primordial play is that relationships grow stronger, new understandings can be met, physical challenges can be overcome, and abstract concepts of about life in general have an area for experimentation and figuring out. Most of this type of play can clearly be observed outside in more natural setting, however it normally goes on unfettered is there is a place for it. And this sort of play does not call for a play yard in a forest as a strip of rural or urban cultivated patch of green can provide the grounds for invoking this degree of play. But over all kids willingly can transform any environment as long as patches of plants and grass exist for them to stop, sniff, dig, pick, or other wise interact with their environment, no matter the size of the outdoor space. But surely, the more space, the merrier and greater the adventures.
Tapping into kids primordial play and where those interests lie provide a wondrous position for steering further exploration into academics. For example if they are imbued with the power dynamic of winning or my be quite partial to the “battle scene” as it even sub-surfaces through their drawings, then let these primordial fascinations fuel their interests into reading and writing. If they draw a battle scene in their journal or onto a piece of people then invite them to write the word “battle” or other words that captures their interest in that present moment, while phonetically sounding out the “b” sound in “battle.” Just as if another kid may be drawing bunnies or fairies, you would also encourage them to write titles or stories to compliment their images. If we can ease our tendencies towards projecting, prejudging, or stereotyping kids we can replace those initial anxieties with further opportunities for connecting with young people and assisting them with providing the means to thrive. Setting up policies at home or at school that forbid primordial play that stems from a place of “battle or hunt,” only demonizes the play and 