Today we visited the Children’s School for observation; I asked everyone to document and deconstruct a concrete event, so I’m going to relate something I witnessed on the playground.

Event: I witnessed a number of 4-year-olds collaborating to move around the big red ball which is about 3 feet in diameter.  One friend managed to get the ball up the steps onto a piece of playground equipment, then discovered it was too big to fit into the opening above the slide.  He evidently gave up and reversed course, but the aha moment was when he apparently realized he could get it over the side, but would need help.  It took two tries to recruit an accomplice; at first the other friend turned away, then something was said and he engaged with the ball.  Once on board, there was obvious delight as they slowly worked it up the side and then over the railing.  At that point a lot of heads turned as it fell eight feet or so and bounced away.  The two friends gleefully ran down to start pushing it around the sidewalk again, and seemed to have even more companions now than before.

The ball is hugely compelling to a child; it is bright and colorful, it feels as large as their own body, but they can exercise their autonomy easily because it is easy to push without help, their initiative because they constantly invent their own challenges.  It doesn’t leave a permanent trace, so perhaps it is harder to identify industry except in the social aspect, where there is clearly a sharing of experience and a mutual acclaim. It’s hard to do better than a ball for basic fun. 🙂

So how can we hope to improve on the basics?  Indeed, it will be hard to be as universal as a ball.  But we can adopt some of its qualities: easily adaptable to multiple patterns of use, robust, suitable for many or few hands, an abstract starting point for abstract physical narratives.

What does the ball lack?  It may be less compelling in solitary play.  It is great as a focal point for a group, but solitary ball play may end up as juggling practice.  I.e., fun, with progressive mastery, but needing a much higher level of commitment.