Play dates are a time for kids to get together and have interaction with other little ones. Play dates are arranged between parents. It’s a network of who the parents have chosen that's best for their kids to learn socialization. They learn conflict resolution, sharing, creativity and who's the leader.
As a child my play dates were riding bikes, tag football or wandering through the woods to build a fort . Yes, I was a tomboy. Our parents didn’t arrange anything except us arriving home by the time the streetlights were on. I enjoyed every minute of playing in the dirt, with all the kids in the neighborhood.
Play dates today have a new meaning and arrangement. Now a days play dates help children of the millennium to dig a little deeper by choosing their “Life” skills and path. A couple of months ago, I volunteered at a Junior Achievement of South Florida event. This play date allowed for the children to prepare for their day of fun at JA BizTown.
JA BizTown is an opportunity to run a city for a day! Fifth graders in Broward and South Palm Beach area get first hand experience on adulthood. Prior to their visit, students have classroom lessons on the reality of “How you make that money” . The lessons get them acclimated with applying for jobs, voting, banking, politics and much more. The students choose a career and learn the ins and outs of what it takes to run that business.
There are 18 business simulation setups that the students work and run for the day. They handle a budget , pay employees, assist customers and interacting with other businesses for partnership. It's a busy day of wheels churning of everything they have learned put to test as they make decisions on how to run their business or the city.
It was quite enjoyable to see these students work throughout the day. They were so excited as they prepared the books, paid employees and ran their business. I worked with students at the Local 10 News TV station. They ran the camera, interviewed other business owners and coordinated their broadcast feed with radio station across the walkway. To see some of the most important life skills in action like following directives,creativity, cooperation and teamwork was inspiring.
Volunteering always allows me to view life through those I am helping and this was such a wonderful inspiring event. It's so important for youth today to get a better picture of what it takes to run a household, work daily and prepare for their future. It's definitely a play date for winning.
Photos by
Janko Ferlic from Pexels