Play and Work

Just a bit more on Montessori -- I fear I am beating the subject to death, but I am not trying to be controversial. It is something I am really working to understand. The personal context here is my two youngsters and their imaginative life.

Reading in Natural Structure, I find

".... Dr. Montessori never said that a child should never play. She said a child prefers work to play most of the time when appropriate work is offered in an appropriate environment. Play, in the sense of recreation, is necessary for the human person. But here we have already run into our problem. If we were to ask you if jumping rope... was work or play, you would probably say 'play'. Since these activities build physical strength and graceful movement, and therefore have a developmental goal, they are work. Work is an activity which directly helps a child to achieve his next developmental step physically, mentally, or spiritually. It is an activity which is based in reality...."

"Play, on the other hand, is something that does not help the child to reach any developmental goal. Play is an activity based in fantasy (or make-believe). If a child (to borrow from Dr. Montessori's example) sets a 'table' with leaves for 'plate,', acorns for 'cups' and proceeds to have a 'banquet' with stuffed animal 'guests' he has not gained strength physically, mentally, or spiritually. Although this child may have spent hours conducting this (fantasy) banquet, he has done no work. It is make-believe. In fact, this type of fantasy play not only does not help a child to master reality, it can hinder him from doing so, setting him back so that he will have to work harder to focus on reality afterward. It could rightfully be called 'spiritual junk food.'"

An article I read recently called Pascal's Philosophy of Diversion talks about the characteristics of play in children:

At this juncture it should be pointed out that play, particularly play demonstrated by children, is to a certain extent distinct from diversion as applied in a Pascalian sense. In defining play as applied to children, Fergus Hughes states that play must have five essential characteristics. First, “play is intrinsically motivated. It is an end in itself, done only for the sheer satisfaction of doing it.” Second, play “must be freely chosen by the participants.” Third, “it must be pleasurable.” Fourth, “it is nonliteral. That is, it involves a certain element of make-believe, a distortion of reality to accommodate the interests of the player.” Fifth, Hughes states that “play is actively engaged in by the player. The child must be involved, physically, psychologically, or both, rather than passive or indifferent to what is going on.”