The Best Kind of Play
Some years ago, we handled an event for Havaianas called Playback. The objective of the event was to bring back old Filipino games and re-orient the kids of today towards learning these games. It was a fun and memorable experience seeing kids in the Bonifacio High Street area (where we held the event) playing piko, sipa, patintero, and tumbang preso (using Havaianas flips flops of course!), for most of them, for the very first time. We did that event the succeeding year and that time we held Playback games for college students too.Last night, I just so happened to be going through this past year's photos and I realized something that made me overjoyed-- I realized that Reese and I have spent so many fun moments playing together and a lot of what we did was just like we had our very own form of "playback". Without being conscious of it, I was exposing her to a lot of games and pasttimes that I used to do growing up-- no batteries, gadgets, electricity, internet required, just good old plain and simple fun! Absolutely old school! Check out some of the games we play together:Boardgames are the most common ways for family bonding. In our home, we have our own collection of boardgames and Monopoly, Clue, Life, are some of our favorites.
Recently we have also started playing Battleship. I remember playing this often with my older brothers!
Chinese Jackstones were also all the rage when I was in elementary school. We used to play all the time, exhausting all our breaktimes. This set was sewn by my crafty sister in law Tonette. It will take maybe another year till Reese will have the ability to do the actual sets but it pays to try to learn things early.
House-house. It could be a blanket that becomes a tent, under the bed becomes a hideout- this balikbayan box became Reese's home for around 3 days which we filled up with different items of her choice. (By the way, why did we call it "house house"? Is it because it's the literal translation of "Bahay-bahayan"? Did you guys call it "house-house" too or did that just happen in my family?)
Because I love paper and pens, I always carry these with me in my bag. For kids, I know that writing and coloring are some of the ways for them to develop fine motor skills, the right grip, and good penmaship. It is also a productive way to keep them occupied. So there's the pasttime of coloring coloring books (which Gary also loves doing by the way). I wonder if most kids still do this or just satisfy themselves with the Paint app.
I've also taught my kids classic pen and paper games like Tic tac toe (of course!)
Dot-to-dot (that's an invented title. i realize i dont know what this game is called:) PM me if you know the name!)
And one of our constant favorites since Reese learned to read, Hangman.
When there is good light, we also like to do Shadow Play. We usually do this in our room against our closets, where the corridor is perfectly illuminated for shadow dogs, birds, elephants, and many more. In this photo, my brother Jude shows our nephew Jake the "shadow bird".
And when the weather permits, we spread on the anti-mosquito repellent, grab Jagger, and take a walk to the park
and go on the swings. I would say to people: If you want to feel like a child again, go on a swing. The freedom of movement, the sensation of flying, with wind blowing through your hair and on your face-- that's probably why the simple act brings you back to when you were also 7. I love teaching my kids techniques on how to go higher and higher and higher.
And on the way home, don't forget to "stop and smell the roses", or in this case, stop and "touch the makahiya". The absolutely best way to entertain and fascinate young kids - the makahiya never fails to put on a good show. I still consider it the most "high tech" plant ever:) God is such a great inventor.
Reese also loves the challenge of keeping a hula hoop up, and i think so does Lola.Then just like my cousins and I loved back then, we like hopscotch or piko too.
and Reese incorporates her own dainty flair into the game.Then we finally mastered "Sweet Violet"!...Thanks sis in law Tonette for the videoWe're gooooood right?! We practiced this all summer so we could perfect it!The past weeks have been so very busy for me- with multiple events we are handling as Creative Juice and upcoming events of Mommy Mundo, plus preparations for our upcoming High School homecoming and a wedding in the family. Though I always make it a point, no matter how busy I am, to squeeze in bonding time with the kids, it does not ever seem to be enough for me. When it comes to the kids, I feel like I always miss being with them even if we were just together a minute ago!So knowing and realizing that I was actually able to allot plenty of meaningful and fun moments together with my kids makes me feel better, triumphant event. I also realize that heck, with all the new toys and technologies, the best kind of play still is the old school way.Through the simple but interactive and creative games of way back when, our bonding times are amplified. Not only did I spend time with my kids, I shared a part of myself with them through these games. And finding the same kind of fun, happiness and utter joy in these activities makes for a special connection, the kind that we will all remember forever.Have you and your kids played any of the memorable games we've played? If not, why not pick one out and try it in your own home:)P.S. Let me know if you need the details and mechanics :)