The World of the Child.

Peter decided to review a particular toy sale brochure that he found recently in our letterbox. It was titled Australia's Biggest Toy Sale at Target (24 July to 3 August 2008). He did not go to the toy sale, but did browse through Toy Kingdom at Greensborough. There, he became aware of the huge range of toys available. One could spend half a day there and still find something new.

It is hard to make sense of it all, but he does have the feeling that the marketers are pushing the children's toy culture more than the children. People might say that marketing companies are sensitive to the movements of the market, but he thinks they actually move the market the way they wish. What they have done is also self-perpetuating, in that once a behavioural pattern is established and it is accepted as the norm, it just keeps moving in that direction.

With the electronic games waiting in the wings, toys as we know them seem to have a short lifespan. Even days after a toy is given, it may be discarded for a new novelty. Another toy. That is certainly the case when electronic games are "discovered".

If a number of children are together and all want to play with cars, or feed and change doll babies, then the game could last for hours, do much for the tired parent, and create positive communal learning experiences. If there is only one child playing with a toy or game, it may not last. The child is more often a social creature.

Parents tend to regard toys, games, TV or movies as leverage for obedience or as a child pacifier. The respite they receive for this dispensation may come at a future cost. The child's healthy development may be curtailed. A toy or game should be selected with care because it has the potential to help the child's thinking and learning process which helps to clarify and relive experiences, even to rehearse adult roles. The wrong sort of toy or game, especially the kind that carries with it set expectations on how to play (i.e. a toy Batmobile or a fashion Barbie), will restrict this learning and experimenting with life in the world of play. This world is the primary environment of the child for mental growth and advancement. The challenge the child has, but does not realise it, is the need to play with "open-agenda" toys or games, to experiment with their world.

It is believed that children do not play by instinct and have to be taught to play. Adults have an opportunity to teach children how to play well. Adults who are willing to play alongside children are readily admitted into this "play" world. This sharing at play is very healthy and the child in turn has much to teach the adult. This point can be translated into our Church environment and yet we are still to utilise this in my church. Jerome Berryman, founder of "Godly Play", has applied this principle well. We will share a wealth of learning as we play out the "good news" with children and it will be fun. At present, we are only half way there in our church provided we allow ourselves to include craft activities as a form of play.

The children of fifty years ago (Peter's generation) more often created a game out of nothing but the sticks and stones they found. They did watch movies and these indeed influenced their shared play (i.e. cowboys and Indians). The difference today is the faster pace and the greater variety of choice available to the child. Games are shorter and much more varied. Being able to maintain a sustained focus on a task is now a greater challenge for the child.

Schools play a pivotal role in preparing the child for their future years. Here the trend is to bring computer usage into the youngest classes. As the budget allows, classrooms are being equipped with computer labs and interactive white boards. These IWB's are connected to the school's intranet system and therefore also allow movies to be shown. By grade five, children are expected to have a working computer portfolio of their current work tasks and future objectives. Children have controlled access to the web and to their own email account. Learning experiences are becoming very complex and time is at a premium.

Sometimes schools are saddled with having to teach social skills to children, such as how to play fairly. Schools try to remain one step ahead of problems, by continually shuffling children's seating arrangements in class to provoke a better social culture. But no matter how well organised schools are, gangs can still form, and violent behaviours can still happen. This culture of violence is fed by "suspect" movies that children are determined to view. For example, the Batman movie Dark Knight has been promoted by fast food chains and primary school children have found ways to see it. The peer pressure to see the latest "violent" movie is just as powerful amongst the preteens.

Now as we are beginning to understand the situation, we seem to be facing a problem of massive scale. The vying for our children's attention seems to have been well and truly won by the corporations who have done their marketing research and are raking in the dollars. Open ended play seems to be no longer attractive. This latest generation of children, born into the computer age, are having their play dictated. Their parents are giving them more protection and indulging them with more material comforts that perpetuate this. Yet, we also notice how quickly a child will dispense with electronically fabricated play when s/he is given love and attention. They will respond positively to genuine interest in their personhood and are fascinated by the new world of story, play and spirituality that we adults can offer them. It is a calling of God to enter this world and play out the learning.