I 
was spending time with Haruka in a playground when I saw a mum with a 4 year old daughter. Her daughter was healthy mentally and physically, but somehow she was afraid to sit on the swing. Her mother put her sitted on the swing and the little girl began to call out to her mother in a frightened tone, to take her down. Then, the mother calmed her by holding her hand and talked to her. She 
stopped her tantrums and just sat calmly. Slowly, the mother pushed the swing gently while holding her hand. She was getting a little nervous, but tried to stay calm as her mother's hands were firmly holding her. It probably took quite a while to get this girl swinging. And even then, her mother did not want to let her swing too much that day. But, a historic milestone was made. The daughter 
overcame her fear slightly with the aid of a patient mum. This probably could have been avoided by exposing a child early to play and to some safe adrenalin rush at the playground. Yet, at every step, a parent's presence can make a huge difference in a child's development. Most of the time, its through playing with your child.
was spending time with Haruka in a playground when I saw a mum with a 4 year old daughter. Her daughter was healthy mentally and physically, but somehow she was afraid to sit on the swing. Her mother put her sitted on the swing and the little girl began to call out to her mother in a frightened tone, to take her down. Then, the mother calmed her by holding her hand and talked to her. She stopped her tantrums and just sat calmly. Slowly, the mother pushed the swing gently while holding her hand. She was getting a little nervous, but tried to stay calm as her mother's hands were firmly holding her. It probably took quite a while to get this girl swinging. And even then, her mother did not want to let her swing too much that day. But, a historic milestone was made. The daughter overcame her fear slightly with the aid of a patient mum. This probably could have been avoided by exposing a child early to play and to some safe adrenalin rush at the playground. Yet, at every step, a parent's presence can make a huge difference in a child's development. Most of the time, its through playing with your child.I t
ook Haruka to a playground even when she was less than 1 year old. She just sat in my arms and watch the other children play, plus turn her heads around to notice for the sparrows flying around. I would also sit on the swing with her in my arms and slowly swing up and down so she would feel the swinging movements while still stay close to daddy. Later, we found some enclosed swings with a secure box where Haruka could sit aided and swing. Sh
e liked it even at a young age. When she could walk and climb stairs, we were amazed at how quickly she got acquanted with the slides and other play items in the playground. I truly think an outdoor playground is good for children, even if they have been playing various toys indoors. Nothing beats the joy of swinging and sliding and falling down on a patch of gr
ass or sand. These are simple pleasures that we ourselves as children enjoyed, yet nowadays there are so many amusement parks and playrooms that children could play at. Location may matter less and can not be a substitute to having parent's presence in those crucial moments. Nothing beats a parent holding a child's hand to reassure her that all is fine at the swing.
ook Haruka to a playground even when she was less than 1 year old. She just sat in my arms and watch the other children play, plus turn her heads around to notice for the sparrows flying around. I would also sit on the swing with her in my arms and slowly swing up and down so she would feel the swinging movements while still stay close to daddy. Later, we found some enclosed swings with a secure box where Haruka could sit aided and swing. She liked it even at a young age. When she could walk and climb stairs, we were amazed at how quickly she got acquanted with the slides and other play items in the playground. I truly think an outdoor playground is good for children, even if they have been playing various toys indoors. Nothing beats the joy of swinging and sliding and falling down on a patch of grass or sand. These are simple pleasures that we ourselves as children enjoyed, yet nowadays there are so many amusement parks and playrooms that children could play at. Location may matter less and can not be a substitute to having parent's presence in those crucial moments. Nothing beats a parent holding a child's hand to reassure her that all is fine at the swing.How often do you take your child to the playground?
(Photos show Haruka at Discovery Bay playground at a man made beach and Hong Kong park playground overlooking Hong Kong concrete skyline. I must say that I am quite impressed at the good playground facilities in large playgrounds in Hong Kong).
No comments :
Post a Comment