The Real Play Revolution by Ash Perrin

Author:Ash Perrin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Watkins Media

GOING BIG TO OVERCOME BLOCKS

Besides giving kids the scope to play big, loud and fast, Real Play is often born out of a moment when an idea is forced to come into existence. A moment where a child at first draws a blank, perhaps stutters and hesitates. It is in these moments that – rather than give them options, or feed them words – it is better to look them in the eye, and wait and wait and wait.

Having worked with children who have not been allowed to be independent in their creativity or in their ideas, I’ve noticed that when you ask them to do something they often don’t know how and will look to you for cues. An example of this happened in Romania, where the Flying Seagull Project was running a rural outreach programme. One day I asked the children to draw anything they liked, which we were going to decorate with different sorts of fabrics and textiles, glues and glitter. I hadn’t really considered the picture to be any more than a starting point for the rest of the workshop.

Nothing happened. I waited for 15 seconds before asking them again what they wanted to draw. In reply, they asked what I wanted them to draw. I made the mistake of naming items, not meaning to feed them any ideas but simply to suggest that they had choices. I mentioned a house and a hot air balloon. Quite quickly the children began to draw, and I felt sure that they had managed to get through that breakthrough moment and find an idea or unlock an image that they held in their head or heart. However, after a few minutes, as I walked around the room, I saw that all of them without exception had drawn either a house or – yes, you guessed it – a balloon.

Breakthrough moments might be uncomfortable at first, but they are as much about overcoming a crisis of confidence and self-belief as they are about navigating some sort of creative block. To make things a whole lot simpler and less stressful, I would suggest helping kids to open up by encouraging a more reckless and uninhibited approach to self-expression through a simple game like the One-Word Yelling Story.

THE ONE-WORD YELLING STORY

Now I’m sure most of you have played a game where you’ve helped tell a story as part of a group with each person adding one word at a time. Children all over the world love this type of game as you can end up with some very funny stories. This particular version is louder and faster – and a great way of helping anyone who might be feeling a bit blocked, or have a reason to hold back, to engage without becoming too focused on the content or narrative.

Step 1. Stand in a circle and warm-up: start by playing a response game such as Rubber Chicken (see page 80) to get everyone in the shared silly zone, free of inhibitions and embarrassment.

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