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Recreation
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City of Roswell
P.O. Drawer 1838
Roswell, NM 88202-1838
(505) 624-6700
Fax: 624-6889 |
THE LEISURE INCIDENT
"The Shaping Power of Play"
August 15, 2025
Kim Elliott, CLP
Recreation Director
City of Roswell
What shapes the lives of our children more than
anything else? What shapes the lives of our future leaders more than anything
else? What shaped your life and my life?
Some would immediately say that it is
'education' that did the shaping. But, education is much more than school.
George Santayana made the statement, "A
child educated only at school is an uneducated child."
That's a pretty strong statement! There are
some who might even be offended by that statement. But, it is absolutely true! A
lot more than just 'book' learning is needed. That is where the significance of
physical education and leisure education in a life is important.
What the leisure incident calls for is balance.
Leisure is like the mortar that holds the bricks together. Yet, which is more
important? Is it the bricks, or is it the mortar? Both are needed! That is why
President Theodore Roosevelt made the statement, "Since
play is a fundamental need, playgrounds should be provided for every child as
much as schools."
Luther Gullick, in talking about the importance
of 'play' says, "The Individual is
more completely revealed in play than in any other way; and conversely play has
a greater shaping power over the character and nature of man than any one other
activity."
What do the play habits of our children tell
us? How have play habits changed in the last fifty or so years? Have these
changes been positive or negative?
Children are no longer as active as they used
to be. The further development of television, video and computer games have
added to the current lack of physical fitness of our youth today. The problem is
not just with our youth. The advent of the above has made it easier for adults
to 'participate' in sport activities as spectators. Television programming makes
it possible for Monday Night Football to be seen seven days a week, all day
long!
But it is not just football! Spectators can
participate in Xtreme Sports, Baseball, La Crosse, Kayaking, Billiards,
Shooting, Tennis and many, many more. The 'participant', either youth or adult,
can either take part through a video game or by spectating from the living room
couch! This is all year long! The only exercise received is pushing buttons, or
getting up to find the remote. As a generation, we have made it too easy.
Our nation needs to get off the couch! How can
we compete with a video game or the championship bowl game on TV? We have to
learn to compete.
Why? Because this is what is shaping our
children. This is what is building our children's character! This is where the
nature of this generation is being revealed! This is why Parks and Recreation
are so important in a community!
Play reveals the character and nature of our
children. It not only reveals it, but it shapes it! The current technology has
encouraged and promoted non-activity for both young and old alike!
Now we see the importance of play! We have an
entire generation of youth and most likely the parents, too, who have grown up
either in front of a TV or computer screen.
How can parents and communities begin to take
back this generation? It is a big task, but as the old Chinese proverb says, "A
journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
Maybe we can begin to replace some of the
negative leisure choices with better positive leisure choices for the future. We
can:
Offer a wide choice of activities beyond
organized sport.
Focus children's attention on the game rather than on the outcome.
Support positive physical self perceptions through skill development.
Minimize pressure by de-emphasizing how children should perform.
Make activities easily accessible to all children, regardless of family
income, distance, etc.
(excerpts from Research File, Canadian
Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute No. 95-02)
In all of these choices, it is important to
provide the qualified leadership needed to make these leisure choices positive.
That is where lies the importance of Park and Recreation professionals.
Parks and Recreation! The Benefits Are Endless...TM
