DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET What made it especially painful for you? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ What would you have liked to have happen differently? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ I was not very athletic growing up, or maybe I just wasn’t aggressive enough to play team sports. I used to love kickball and tetherball, but team sports always made me a bit nervous. I never wanted to fail or be embarrassed if I wasn’t good enough. —Sarah We moved every year, sometimes twice a year, until I was thirteen. It wasn’t fun to be the new kid. —Steve S. I remember getting pulled around by my hair while fighting over toys, and I hated feeling left out when playing with a group of kids. —Carrie During recess in elementary school, my classmates were playing a game of kick- ball and choosing teams. I was the last one to be picked, and neither one wanted me on their team. I remember running from the playground in tears to talk to the playground monitor/teacher. —Lisa Why Do Your Childhood Experiences Matter? Although you may not always be aware of it, your past play experiences influence how you interpret children’s play. r Marion, a teacher in a four-year-old room, observed three girls having an argument in the house area. Two of the girls were telling the third one she couldn’t play there and they didn’t want to play with her. Marion found herself becoming angry and resentful of the two girls excluding the other girl. She went to a coworker to complain. As they talked, Marion remembered a time she had been Remembering Your Play Experiences | 13  COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL