Lack Of Imagination In Children These Days...Opinions?

[Soccermom]

Do you ever wonder if the fact that the children in childcare are constantly being supervised hinders their imagination? It feels like kids don't know how to just be kids anymore...they just can't seem to play the way we did.

I try to take a backseat when the children are playing as I find they tend to engage more in play when they don't know I am watching them.
I have been trying to give them more freedom to play, especially outdoors, without me constantly trying to engage them in a game or activity.

When we were kids, a lot of moms were at home ironing, cooking, cleaning and we were left to our own devices. We created all sorts of games and came up with all kids of fun things to do without toys or adults to entertain us.

It feels lately that children can't even be without an adult for more than 5 minutes without getting anxious and coming to look for us. They are supervised constantly during childcare hours and then their parents feeling guilty for not having been with them all day tend to hover over them in the evenings.

When I was 5 I played with my friends in the backyard for hours in the afternoons and my mother only glanced out the window once in awhile. It was great! My younger sister hung out in her playpen in the living room with some soft toys and blocks watching Sesame Street until she was 3. She is a highly paid Physiotherapist now so the lack of crafts, directed activities and early learning opportunities doesn't seem to have affected her at all.

When we were a little older my mom used to fill a box with craft supplies and left us to create whatever the heck we wanted. She didn't spend hours on pinterest looking for age appropriate craft ideas to have us recreate. We just made whatever and it was a blast!

I know we are required to have the children in our care under our constant watchful eye, I mean we wouldn't want something to happen to them while in our care but it is too bad because I think the lack of imagination in a lot of kids nowadays is just so sad.

What are your thoughts?

[Willow]

Agree.

I will make it a point to appear busy or distracted as heck so mine can go about their business without feeling self conscience. I always have my ears tuned in 100%, but divert my eyes from hover status frequently so they don't feel hovered over/shadowed.

I swear the feeling of freedom it gives them opens the most creative portals in their growing minds, it's awesome to see them flourish with some space and undirected time.

[Blackcat31]

I don't think it's the constant supervision and helicopter parenting that robs kids of their ability to be creative and use their imaginations....it's electronics.

Everything does something when you push a button. Kids have no clue that they are suppose to "do" something since most of their toys do everything for them.

[preschoolteacher]

I needed to read this today!!

I had an unexpected day off because my sibling set called in sick. They were my only two for the day, so my son and I packed up and went to the Children's Museum spur of the moment. It was so much fun... one of the best days I have had in a long time.

BUT.

I couldn't help but notice that the overwhelming majority of the parents there today all shared the same parenting style. They constantly commented on everything their kids did--"You jumped! You ran!" A kid would be working on figuring out the giant blocks, and the mom would be right in there, telling her how to do it "right," not letting the child explore for herself. Toddlers were scooped up and carried away from "the baby area--that's not for you!" and put down to play somewhere else that the parent thought was cool. Parents were standing around, kind of bored, watching their kids play with the different toys/learning areas, and ushering them to the next activity before the kids were ready because... face it... it is kind of dull watching your child push the same button 25 times over and over again... and you want to see their excited face when you show them the next cool thing over there.

But it was stressful to listen to (for me), and the kids were never fully engaged because right when they got into something, the parent would move them along, or come dictate how to play the game, or comment in a way that distracted the kid from being immersed in their own idea. I actually saw a mom sit down in the play restaurant area and dictate to her approximately 7-year-old how to play... bring me an apple, no that one, cut it up, where's my plate... the child was just robotically following the mom's directions.

I have to guess that the majority of the moms there were the stay-at-home type. So I think this lack of creativity happens EVERYWHERE--not just kids who are constantly supervised in a childcare setting.

After noticing it, I was really intentional to not direct my son to cool activities. I let him throw a ball around the playroom for 45 minutes (without saying "good throw!" every 25 seconds!) even though we have balls at home and even though there were some really, really cool things in that room he never got to.

I'm totally going to try do more "unsupervised supervising" with my daycare kids.

[Heidi]

I needed to read this today!!

I had an unexpected day off because my sibling set called in sick. They were my only two for the day, so my son and I packed up and went to the Children's Museum spur of the moment. It was so much fun... one of the best days I have had in a long time.

BUT.

I couldn't help but notice that the overwhelming majority of the parents there today all shared the same parenting style. They constantly commented on everything their kids did--"You jumped! You ran!" A kid would be working on figuring out the giant blocks, and the mom would be right in there, telling her how to do it "right," not letting the child explore for herself. Toddlers were scooped up and carried away from "the baby area--that's not for you!" and put down to play somewhere else that the parent thought was cool. Parents were standing around, kind of bored, watching their kids play with the different toys/learning areas, and ushering them to the next activity before the kids were ready because... face it... it is kind of dull watching your child push the same button 25 times over and over again... and you want to see their excited face when you show them the next cool thing over there.

But it was stressful to listen to (for me), and the kids were never fully engaged because right when they got into something, the parent would move them along, or come dictate how to play the game, or comment in a way that distracted the kid from being immersed in their own idea. I actually saw a mom sit down in the play restaurant area and dictate to her approximately 7-year-old how to play... bring me an apple, no that one, cut it up, where's my plate... the child was just robotically following the mom's directions.

I have to guess that the majority of the moms there were the stay-at-home type. So I think this lack of creativity happens EVERYWHERE--not just kids who are constantly supervised in a childcare setting.

After noticing it, I was really intentional to not direct my son to cool activities. I let him throw a ball around the playroom for 45 minutes (without saying "good throw!" every 25 seconds!) even though we have balls at home and even though there were some really, really cool things in that room he never got to.

I'm totally going to try do more "unsupervised supervising" with my daycare kids.

This is actually how I raised my own kids, and when they were little people often commented on how "mature" they were. My daughter, a week before her 2nd birthday attended my friends' Montessori program (to avoid me being out of ratios). By the middle of morning 1, she had her in the 3-5 year old class.

I think one reason I get so frustrated here some days is because my dck's seem quite incapable of being content for even 10 minutes. 4 mo. is held or in the swing all the time at home, 10 mo. rules the roost, 9 1/2 mo. wants constant feedback, and 23 mo is fine alone; but if there are other children around, he completely forgets how to play and spends most of his time pushing or taking toys. I'm ready to make 4 giant playpens and separate them all! jk

[blandino]

I would second all the above posts. I think electronics play a big role. I have had so many kids ask me "what does this toy do ?". They want/are used to. everything doing the playing for them.

I also think that because parents are spending less and less time with their children, they feel the need to make this time jam packed with things and activities to make it "special". I have a DCM who is always always doing projects and going going going with her kids. They never just sit and enjoy . I certainly don't think there is anything wrong with planning activities, but there needs to be some down time too. I think parents are confusing busy every second with quality/special time. I think we all over do things for ourselves, and are passing that on to children.

[Heidi]

I am going to be spending a day with a Waldorf teacher next month (3-6yo Kindergarten). One of the things she told me on the phone is that they do NOT interfere with the children's free play. Although the do lead some activities, during free play periods (including in the forest), the teachers work on other things. Handiwork, baking, cutting wood, gardening, etc. The children can apparently choose to come help, but the teachers do not try to engage them during this time, and intervene pretty much only if there's an injury risk.

[JoseyJo]

We have gradually moved from mostly teacher-led to more child-led. There is NOTHING wrong with supervision (IMO!) it's the directing and micromanaging of play that is the problem (along w/ electronics, I totally agree).

Today I had a really cool art project that I KNOW they are gonna love all ready to go for 10:30, but at 10:15 the littles got out some foam blocks and soon everyone had joined in. All the other toys got put away and every single child was immersed in block play. So instead of having them put the blocks away at 10:30 I sat back and watched the play. It was amazing! No fighting, no screaming, working together, helping each other, making up rules as needed, problem solving, and oh so much imagination!

[dingledine]

I think it is multifaceted. Yes, I think it is electronics, media, etc. I also think that helicopter parents have something to do with it.

The kids in my daycare play. It bothers me a little when one of the girls frequently wants to play made up games from a show/movie she watches with my daughter, but on the other hand, I am sure my daughter assumes that it is just another made up game.

The kids in my daycare mostly do pretending stuff all of the time. It is great, I am cooking, they are playing something, etc.

[coolconfidentme]

Most of my DCKs didn't know what Play-Doh was when they started here. They all wanted me to make them something, it was like pulling teeth to get them creative.

We don't have any electronics here or a TV & they all seem lost without them for a month or so.

[MarinaVanessa]

I don't think it's the constant supervision and helicopter parenting that robs kids of their ability to be creative and use their imaginations....it's electronics.

I think it's both. I have a nephew that I wouldn't watch for 10 minutes because he needs constant entertainment. He has no skills on how to entertain himself. All he wants is his iPad or someone's phone. If his iPad dies, there is no TV, no one has a phone they are willing to share with him or a handheld game device he is a mess and will either tantrum (he's 8), sit somewhere and do absolutely nothing while he whines that he is bored or he'll get into mischief because he is bored.

On the other hand I have a crunchy granola type cousin (sister of the above child's mom, so completely on the other side of the spectrum) and she hovers over her child like it was going out of style. My niece is 18 months and her mom literally hovers over her if she is walking outdoors. She looks like she's trying to be a turtle and create a shell or bubble around my niece. My niece can't run yet, has no toys that are even remotely hard, is carried and hand fed sill etc. We went to a park for a family gathering and I took wiffle balls and a sponge bat and my cousin didn't want my niece playing with them because "she can get her fingers stuck in the holes or cut herself on an edge" she also said something about how another kid might hit her with the bat. I gave my niece a bucket of random toys and she stared at it like she had no clue what to do then here comes super mom to the rescue "*GASP* She might hit herself!"

Turn off the electronics, step back and let them be kids already!!!

[TwinKristi]

I have a sibling set that HAVE TO be supervised or they get into trouble! They've gotten MUCH better recently, but last Spring it was a nightmare to have them here and I refused to have them during the summer and filled their spots quickly. I had them for their Fall break (year-round school) and they actually played quite well without management. They made up games and built fun things with Legos. We went on a nature walk and collected fun things. I had arts & crafts for them as well. But prior to this Fall, they got into trouble when left to do that stuff. While under their mom's supervision (or lack of) they have taken OTC meds and required hospitalization, gave their baby cousin medicine, they've eaten a whole jar of GummyVites, cut their dog's whiskers, let horses out of a gate on their neighbor's property, poured water in their mom's gas tank... The list goes on and on!

I personally like having infants and toddlers for this reason! A mom interviewing me asked that I not put TV on for their DD who was 6mos old! My DS was 8mos old. I said "Well we might catch Rachel Ray or the Price is Right occasionally? Is that ok?" and she laughed saying she meant children's programming. I asked "do they watch TV at this age?" I never would have thought to put an infant in front of the TV, not that mine would have even watched it! He's almost 2 and just now starting to actually "watch" something for more than a couple seconds. It's crazy! The DCB I watch most has known the song for Calliou and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for MONTHS! He's 20 mos! He refers to Mickey Mouse as "hotdog" because of the TV show! It's just crazy to me what parents do at home! This mom has her kids in daycare from 7:15pm-4:45pm and in their 3 hours at home before bed they watch TV, eat and bathe.

[LK5kids]

I am going to be spending a day with a Waldorf teacher next month (3-6yo Kindergarten). One of the things she told me on the phone is that they do NOT interfere with the children's free play. Although the do lead some activities, during free play periods (including in the forest), the teachers work on other things. Handiwork, baking, cutting wood, gardening, etc. The children can apparently choose to come help, but the teachers do not try to engage them during this time, and intervene pretty much only if there's an injury risk.

I am looking into Waldorf training! If I close my daycare I am going to sub &/or volunteer at a Waldorf school about 30 min. from me. I love Waldorf philosophy!