Children throughout time have played the same archetypal games and the same themes in play.  Think back to “Ring Around the Rosie”.  This timeless game reportedly originated from the bubonic plague.  Macabre, yes, but timeless.  It passed down from generation to generation and so many generations later the simple game still captures the interest of young children.

Sometimes there are questions as to whether the children’s play is appropriate.  If you have such questions, think back to your own childhood.  Did you play a similar game or theme?  For example, at my school, there was concern expressed about children climbing up the slide where clearly, the slide is designed for children to descend.  However, I recall with fondness climbing up the slide in my own childhood.  I remember how much strength it took to defeat the pull of gravity and the triumph I felt upon cresting the slope.

Archetypal play pulls at children’s interest.  It sparks their creativity and connects them with a long lineage of creative children.  Allow children to play timeless themes and Introduce them to the games you played as a child.