Our preschoolers might have been a bit shocked when we told them they were allowed to “wrestle” at school this week. Of course we meant “play wrestling” and emphasized this was all fun and games.
We set up the tumbling mats nearly every day in the South Yard, and the children took turns play wrestling with each other.
Children love to play rough and providing them a safe environment to do it in can be an excellent learning experience. Play wrestling is a non-aggressive way to allow children to test their limits of strength, teaches them to take turns, and gives them the opportunity to begin defining their own personal boundaries, as well as the personal boundaries of those around them.
Play wrestling is fun! Which means the children are cheering each other on, smiling, laughing, and of course remaining friends even after climbing, rolling and sitting on one another.