Departing childhood – will your child pack the important stuff?

I recently had the misfortune of watching an advertorial about a product that promised to have your child reading fluently by the age of 1. Whilst I adore reading and would always encourage children to do so, the advertorial implied that young children should spend every waking moment engaged in some form of structured learning.   Oh how this made my heart twist!  I am not an educator but I believe a competitive, results-based approach to learning threatens to not only bore children to death, but teaches them little about independence, imagination, creativity, resilience or the value of self-guided play and the exquisite art of doing “nothing” and enjoying it.  The brilliant Sir Ken Robinson is far more eloquent than me on the importance of fostering spontaneity and creativity.  You can listen and “watch” his voice here.

This set me to thinking about the experiences children deserve. So I compiled a list of the 100 things I believe children* should experience before they depart childhood.  They are in no particular order and it is impossible for the list to be finite. Many of the experiences should definitely be carried through into adulthood.  After all, I’m still trying to perfect the perfect handstand….

1. Give or receive a hug every day
2. Climb a tree
3. Fall out of a tree
4. Catch a fish
5. Swim with fish
6. Do something kind with no expectation of recognition or reward
7. Start a found collection
8. Keep a journal
9. Boil an egg and eat it before the age of 10
10. Drink out of a hose, preferably wearing nothing other than a pair of knickers
11. Eat some soil
12. Walk a dog
13. Create something with sticks, cardboard and sticky tape
14. Lie on the ground and watch the clouds
15. Be thrilled during a thunderstorm
16. Catch rain on their tongue
17. Experience triumph
18. Blow a bubble gum bubble as big as their head
19. Make jelly
20. Visit a zoo
21. 21. Do nothing
22. Be pushed in a swing
23. Learn how to swing themselves
24. Pick flowers
25. Require a bandaid once a month
26. Devise their own superhero
27. Watch a spider in its web
28. Complete a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle
29. Make their own bed (regularly)
30. Form a special attachment with someone at least 50 years older than themselves
31. Spend 3 consecutive days in their pyjamas
32. Watch a really scary movie without parental guidance
33. Pop a pimple
34. Ride a bike
35. Play with snow
36. Get sun-kissed
37. Bite their fingernails and regret it
38. Be bewildered but secretly thrilled by their first wet dream
39. Experience disappointment
40. Listen to a thrush sing
41. Make a cake from scratch
42. Enjoy the discovery that their parents are people, not just their carers
43. Hate their first period (but be relaxed and happy about the commencement of their journey into womanhood)
44. Watch several sunrises
45. Go bird watching
46. Wonder at a full moon
47. Walk barefoot on wet grass
48. Step on a prickle
49. 49. Do nothing
50. Take public transport somewhere by themselves before the age of 12
51. Walk to school
52. Wonder at a butterfly
53. Kiss their first true love
54. Mow a lawn
55. Fart with relish and not confess
56. Take a photo of something cherished
57. Confound their parent with something related to technology
58. 58. Unplug
59. Understand the value of unstructured play
60. Use the cardboard box, rather than its contents to create a masterpiece
61. Love and laugh often
62. Climb a hill and enjoy the view
63. Ride a horse bareback
64. Grow their own vegetables and herbs
65. Show compassion
66. Write a letter to someone
67. Build a cubby house
68. Find a secret hiding place
69. Sing and shout out loud
70. Play an instrument.  Whether this is done well or badly is irrelevant
71. Chase a rainbow
72. Relish creativity
73. Swim in a river
74. Make their own book
75. Get dirty and stay that way all day
76. Try various cuisines from around the world
77. Perfect handstands and cartwheels
78. Make mud pies
79. 79. Do nothing
80. Jump off a jetty
81. Go ice-skating
82. Do a self-portrait
83. Blow bubbles
84. Paint with a hose
85. Score (or save) a goal at some form of sport
86. Go to a church service of their choice
87. Toast marshmallows
88. Experience the fallibility of their parents
89. Blow a raspberry
90. Go camping
91. Make a family tree
92. Learn how to count to 10 in 10 different languages
93. Hold a snake
94. Blow an egg
95. Paint with their fingers
96. Pick their nose, eat it and decide that doing so is daft
97. Have (and keep into adulthood) a favourite toy
98. Keep a pet
99. Read books
100. 100. Do nothing

What would you add to this list?

* For the purposes of this post, I’ve defined childhood as 0-16.