2022年2月

Since the dawn of time children have engaged in play. Not only human children but the young of most mammals. In ancient times, people didn’t understand why they played. It was assumed to be a nonsensical activity children engaged in to relieve boredom.

However, in recent times, the importance and meaning of play is beginning to be understood. The renowned child psychologist Piaget recognized that play is not simply children mimicking adults (being chefs, fire fighters, doctors, teachers, soldiers, etc), it is children trying to make sense of the world they observe around themselves and effectively “rehearse” for when they become adults.

Children also adapt remarkably well to the world around them, and this is reflected in their play. I remember well the tragic events of the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. In the weeks that followed, the play of the children at school was singularly focussed on acting out emergency scenarios with toy emergency vehicles, and repeating warning phrases they heard on TV. It was, of course, very sad. But it was also impressive to see how well they simply adapted to the situation they found themselves in.

Another example is how children adapt to new technology. When I was a boy, video cassette recorders were new. My mother couldn’t figure out how to record TV shows, so always asked me or my brother. Nowadays, digital TV is new, and I often can’t figure it out so I ask my children for help…

The coronavirus pandemic has been ongoing for two years now. It is a strange situation for us, as adults, but the children – as expected – have been adapting remarkably well. They don’t mind wearing masks and don’t even question why they should. They understand that something is happening which requires it, and they very rarely complain. We must remember, children are stronger and more resilient than many adults think they are. Children will cry easily when upset, but they release that stress and it is gone. Adults, on the other hand, might sometimes feel like crying but they put on a strong face and hide their feelings. We are strong on the outside, but maybe not so strong on the inside. And children are the opposite. They might appear to be weak and sensitive on the outside, but they are stronger inside than adults might care to admit.

In conclusion, we do not know how the pandemic situation will progress in the next year, or even years, but we should be confident and inspired in our children’s ability to adapt to any situation, no matter what.
Let’s have faith in our planet’s future leaders!

Frontierkids Global School　Philip Sneyd