Rusty Keeler is a natural playscape designer who has built outdoor play areas all over the world and speaks about the power of “yes” play. We were lucky enough to have Rusty visit the CMP campus in April.
While he was here he spoke to our staff about our role in children’s play. As caregivers we are guides to children learning they can make mistakes, take risks, and ultimately believe in themselves. Through risky play we are allowing children to listen to their inner voice and body, to allow them to assess risk for themselves. We are building their foundation to navigate the world.
So what is “yes” play? Yes play is having a caregiver take a step back and allow children to use their space as they see fit.It is giving children the freedom to use their own minds to problem solve, to use the materials as they see fit, and give them permission to play uninterrupted. This allows for exploration, enhanced creativity, and peer to peer collaboration. The adult is only there to provide materials and make sure no major injury occurs.
Rusty challenged us to look at how we are interacting with children on the play yards. To see if it was truly necessary to intervene on their play. He asked us to take a pause before going to a child and see what they do. To give children the opportunity to have independence and foster their critical thinking skills.
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