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The world is hurtling along with break neck speed and the idyllic days of our parents’ childhood seem like stories. Popular Childhood Games are now confined to screens. Children today are more enamoured with indoor activities involving a screen. Our parents had to be coaxed back indoors and today our kids have to be coerced into playing outdoors.
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Favourite Childhood games
Today the maximum number of games that a child will play outdoors is scheduled in a structured way. There is no spontaneity to the activities. The sport has become a competition and a chore rather than fun. The joy and the carefree attitude have been stolen from the child. The modern play structure defeats the purpose of play.
The favourite childhood games that our parents enjoyed involved large outdoor spaces. The fun of playing Lock and Key, four Corners, Pitthu, Statue, Kho-kho, Kabaddi, and a plethora of other stuff has been lost to the present generation.
In the olden times, evening meant playtime at the playground. The present generation spends its evening in tuitions, Olympiads, studying and chatting on their phones. The social skills that play time grew are not visible any more. There is very little teamwork and hardly any interaction. The abiding friendships of yore are just stories. The kids today are too obsessed with being the best and winning competitions. The values are such today as parents have become over demanding and competitive. The child is stressed as she gets no time to just enjoy play time.
The best Outdoor Games and Indoor Games
What is sorely needed today is that the old games are recalled into existence. Many outdoor games like Kabaddi and Kho-Kho have made their appearance at an international level. There is even a Kabaddi pro league that has gained a lot of popularity. Most of the older games require skill, team work, strength and stamina. All these attributes also make the child strong and confident. The simple joy of being able to play without competing is a freedom that develops into a balanced personality.
Indoor games like carrom, board games, chess and cards also built skill and logical thinking skills. The games require patience and thought. The child learns to face challenging situations and solve them in a fixed time. This also gives the child confidence that she can handle other life situations and take correct decisions on how to move forward.
There are debates galore about whether the games that our parents played are out-dated or not. But, what all debaters do not acknowledge is that the child revels in a new situation. These games are unpredictable and present a series of challenges to the child as they are not played in a controlled environment. The skills that are needed to play are not learnt in front of a screen. Game skills are also life skills.
Encourage your child to play outdoors with friends. It will not only help her be happy, make friends and be confident, but will also preserve the child within her. After all games should be just that-games!
