Evening star., 1939-07-25
Play yGroup
ByAge
Infants Have Their
Own Scheme of
Endowment
By ANGELO PATRI,


MY son, % months old. will not
play nicely with his brother and sis
ter. 6 and 8. They are good to him
and try to get him to play with them
but he fights them off and cries.
He would be likely to do just that
because he cannot play with chill
dren so much beyond him in mental
and physical development. He is not
equipped for play with children on
this age level. Nor can they play
happily with him. All they can do
with him is to treat him as a baby
and make a toy of him which is not
satisfying IN any sense.
A 2-year-old child plays a good
part of the time by himself if he has
the right toys, and pleasant place.
He likes to have a friend or friends
of about his own age close by, but the
two, or the group. will be likely to
play as individuals, each absorbed
in his own scheme of enjoyment.
Later on they will play together but
the notion of every man for himself
will still be strong in them. Team
work comes after the children have
emerged from infancy into child
hood. Somewhere during the years
between 7 and 10 it begins to show.
In whatever stage of growth the
children happen to be they need
playmates of their own age levels
In order to enjoy each other they
must have about the same power
That means they must have had
about the same experiences, too
The interests of children of the
same age level are near enough
to enable them to understand and
to help each other. There is no
fun in playing If each cannot do
his full share in the game. A 2-year-
old child cannot do this in play with
6-yar-old, or an 8-year-old.
Children in early childhood, in
the group between 7 and 10, can
get closer to one another than chill
dren who are and g. The interest
span must be closer together than
this to allow real cooperation in
spirit and in actuality. That is why
one should not insist upon making
the older brother or sister take the
younger one along to play. Unless
the children are close enough in age
and experience to have the same
powers and interests, they cannot
play together with any advantage to
either. 1t Is not fair to take the
playtime of the older ones to do
something that cannot be done. II
1t is necessary to make the older
ones take care of the younger ones,
well and good. But limit that to set
times and preserve the older chill
dren's playtime to themselves. That
will make for peace in the family,
and promote the growth of all the
children through their play.
Making older children take their
younger sisters and brothers along
with them when they are going out
to enjoy themselves does not make
for brotherly or sisterly affection.
Many family feud can be traced to
that dreaded order, wait and take
your brother" Or, you must take
your sister to the dance" The result
is not what is hoped for. Far from
it. Better let little brother find his
own set, and above everything, let
sister get her own beau for the
party.
When brother has to take sister,
has to like it or not, sister has a
feeling of failure, and brother has
feeling of outrage. Let each find
his own set and be happy with it.
That is all one can do in the end so
1t Is Just as well to do 1t In the be-
ginning.