Discover what working with preschoolers taught me about imagination, focus, and why play is more meaningful—and exhausting—than it looks.
Children Play All The Time
I work with preschoolers, and I see children a lot every day. They never want to stay still—they love to play and stay busy. They never stop. Basically, whenever they’re not sleeping, they’re playing. They play with food at the table while eating, they play with water while washing their hands. They would probably play in the toilet if we let them.
When Was The Last Time You Really Played?
I sometimes join the kids in their play, but I find it very tiring—it wears me out. It requires your full attention and a lot of imagination. Pretending plastic food is real, remembering all the stuffed animals’ names, getting invited to tea parties—it can be exhausting. To really engage and succeed in play, you have to take it seriously and immerse yourself in the process, which takes a surprising amount of mental energy.
Toy Abandonment
I also love watching them lose interest in something. They just drop the toys and switch to a new activity or game without a second thought. They don’t even notice what happens to the toys they’ve left behind because they’ve suddenly become so engaged in something else.
It’s like they’ve gotten everything they needed from the previous activity, and now they’re completely ready to dive into a new experience.