Before a child can benefit from formal education, he . . . must be allowed to succeed and to learn how to accept failure graciously. He needs the enjoyment of active participation in rewarding activities and of total absorption.
Games can help a child acquire some of these qualities and skills. Informal games allow every child, regardless of his talents or weaknesses, to participate as an equal with other children and to enjoy experiences that are essential to his future learning.
—Arnold Arnold
Recall a game from your childhood that taught you something essential about life. Was it hide-and-seek teaching patience? Tag teaching resilience? Or making up rules to an invented game, teaching negotiation?
Identify one life skill that children develop through play. Now imagine a picture book character who struggles with this skill. Create a game—real or fantastical—that helps your character grow in exactly the way they need.
