are children losing their play time?

Children in my country begin school too early. Many of them have fun at nursery school when they are 3 years old. There they learn to play with and get along with other children, listen to stories and do craft projects. Then although the age children must begin school is 5, most of them go to school when they are 4. This reception year is fun, learning the letters of the alphabet, to count up to 10 and play with some toys or take part in role play. Their imagination is fine until they go into years 1 and 2. They are expected to learn spellings, their times table, how to write, how to read and how to work with numbers up to 30 then 100. Add to this their home life of computer games, play stations and television they lose their imagination.

They cut music programs from the schools? That was my favorite class when I went to school. Turn off the tv and encourage them to read. Tv and computers are in a way ruining the minds of the young. Get them interested in music, take up an instrument. If the child is a girl, maybe start a journal or diary. Are they interested in poetry? Encourage them to write.

I think that there are far to much organized activities for kids. They need to be able to come up with thing s on their own too. They should be able to make things themselves using their imagination. They should play more role games and imagine games. They should be taken to the woods, the beach, the mountains and be encouraged to use their bodies without it beeing pre organized. I also think that toys like lego should be used more.