Public school children really don’t get a lot of play time or free time. I am not putting them down in any way, but it’s one of the many reasons we homeschool. Children, up to a certain age, need lots of play time. They have to be able to figure things out on their own and use their imaginations as much as possible.
Albert Einstein said “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” I love that quote because he isn’t saying to not have logic, he is saying it only gets you so far. I want my kids to dream big and think big. I want them to build forts out of sticks, splash in mud puddles, and make up silly games. I want them to explore the world around them. They can’t do that sitting inside a classroom at a desk all day long.
Our homeschool consists of just a few hours of sit down work. That work is actually very fun and interactive. We change subjects every 15 minutes to keep their minds sharp and so they don’t get frustrated. We do most of our school work in the morning before lunch. They have assigned daily work and once it’s finished they have the rest of the day to create, explore, and imagine. It’s their time to do with as they wish.
My oldest son loves to play sports and read. He chooses to practice shooting hoops on the basketball hoop set up in our cul-de-sac each afternoon. He also loves to curl up on his bed with a good book about dragons. His little brothers are his best friends and they get him to help them with building forts and jumping on the trampoline.
My middle son enjoys swinging on our wooden swing hanging from a tree branch in the backyard. He will swing for hours. He throws his head back and watches the clouds in the sky. He also loves to read. We always read together because he is still a beginner reader. His favorite books are about animals and ninjas. He does entertain my youngest son the most though. It’s very helpful to me.
My youngest son is my most needy child. He needs some direction at this stage in his life. All he wants to is play with his brothers. They do so willingly 90% of the time but sometimes they just want to read quietly or play by themselves. He really likes catching bugs outside and naming each one. He also enjoys a good lightsaber fight with his brothers. His favorite books are Llama llama books.
They all love to draw, color, and do any kind of art project they can get their hands on. Their latest obsession is woodwork. My husband has lots of scrap wood that my nephew gave to him. My nephew makes decoy ducks as a hobby (he is very good at it and has won many prizes for his amazing work). We use the scrap wood for fires in the firepit or our woodstove. But, if there are some cool pieces of wood, my boys love to create things. My oldest son made a little table, my middle son made a viking ship, and my youngest son made some kind of boat. They do this with their free play time.
Since my boys are such hard workers getting their school work and chores done, I don’t mind that they play all afternoon. A lot of times, play time turns into a learning opportunity. They will ask what a bug is and we look it up. They find a new leaf and just have to know what kind it is. They also come to me for help with their woodworking projects. These are such sweet moments because they want to learn and it’s not a forced situation. It is delight-directed learning and that’s how I love to teach.
I encourage you to give your kids more time to play and create. I used to have the mindset that the more sit down learning, the better. But, we were failing with that logic and fast. Now my kids are accelerating in most subjects. Play time is very important in our homeschool and my kids have proven that it’s much needed.
