Play is a way to let it all out and feel free your whole life long
Aussie cricket legend, UNICEF Australia ambassador and child-at-heart Pat Cummins says play isn’t just fun – it’s fundamental. Here’s how the skipper gets his playtime on and off the pitch
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has opened up about life beyond the pitch, sharing how fatherhood has changed his understanding of play.
With his four-year-old son Albie more interested in skiing, dancing and throwing balls to the dog than picking up a cricket bat, the sports star was in no rush to steer his children toward the game that made him famous.
“Albie’s a bit of a daredevil,” Cummins said. “Anything outside, he’s pretty happy to do. I love seeing what games he comes up with.”
Ruled out of the first Ashes* Test in Perth with a lower back injury, the skipper* was still hoping to be fit for the second Test.
Reflecting on Thursday’s World Children’s Day and his role as a UNICEF* Australia ambassador*, Cummins shared fond memories of playing with his siblings as a child.
There was cricket with his brothers Tim and Matt and netball with his sisters Laura and Kara. Now an ambassador for the world’s largest children’s charity, Cummins was keen to connect with Aussie kids to pass on the spirit of play, not the pressure to perform.
With baby daughter Edi joining Albie on play patrol, Cummins has become even more passionate about the power of play to spark learning and connection.
“I can’t wait to see what games they come up with together,” he said. “I remember a lot of my childhood playing cricket with my brothers in the backyard, but also when they weren’t home, I’d be playing netball with my sisters as well.
“So, yeah, I can’t wait to see what they play together. Every child deserves a moment to play.
It’s how we discover, grow and connect with the world and each other.”
RELIVING THE WONDER YEARS
Cummins said that since becoming a dad, happy memories from 20 to 25 years ago have flooded back.
“I feel like I’m getting to relive what I did in my childhood,” he said. “I’m one of five children, so growing up we were in the backyard every afternoon after school.
“In summer it was cricket or tennis or swimming. In winter it was kicking a footy around or a soccer ball or riding our bikes.
“I had a lot of freedoms during those years and looking back it was a time where I experienced the pure joy of just being a child.”
Cummins said it was so important for all kids “to have space each day where they can be themselves, follow different curiosities, foster their creativity, run around and connect with others their own age – which is exactly what play makes possible”.
“Play teaches so many lessons,” he said. “It teaches you how to problem-solve, it can teach you resilience* in situations like when you lose in a game, but also, when there’s so many emotions and energy built up, play is a way to let it all out and just be free.”
CHILD’S PLAY
Cummins said that rediscovering play as a parent has been great fun.
“Albie’s only four, so he likes throwing balls, especially to the dog – he can do that all day.
He’s tried a cricket bat and golf clubs, and like many four-year-olds moved on to other things now. He can be a bit of a daredevil, so anything outside he’s happy to do,” he said.
“He picked up skiing pretty quickly this winter and didn’t mind falling over. He would get straight back up and give it another go, which really impressed me. And just running in and out of the waves at the beach, over and over again, for hours.”
Cummins said play could be anything – including making games out of nothing.
“(Albie) loves building things, and jigsaw puzzles, and a favourite thing is baking cakes or cookies,” he said. “He also likes dancing – so for him, maybe dancing with a bit of throwing could be a new sport.”
Now that Edi was moving around and playing with different toys, her proud dad was enjoying watching her discovering the world and learning something new every day.
“It’s been incredible to see the enjoyment, excitement and discovery, but also the connection between them,” Cummins said. “Albie and Edi are connecting through playing together and I can already sense it’s really strong – their bond as siblings.
“Albie uses Edi as his road for his cars, which we’re working on, but also just lots of peekaboo. He’s obsessed, and he’s basically been obsessed since she was born. It’s beautiful to watch.
“I can’t wait to watch what games they come up with and even what sports they might enjoy together.”
SWINGING BATS IN THE BACKYARD
Cummins said that yes, he spent a lot of his childhood playing cricket with his brothers in the backyard – and yes, it was all competitive.
“There were no age-gap handicaps*,” Cummins said.
“Even though my brother is adamant* he’s never lost a game of backyard cricket to me, I think I held my weight from early on.
Cummins’ message following Thursday’s World Children’s Day was simple.
“I want children and families around the country to know that play isn’t just fun, it’s fundamental* to a child’s development,” he said.
“Play is how you learn new things, it’s how you connect with other people, it’s how you get rid of energy and express emotion, and every child deserves a moment of play.”
POLL
GLOSSARY
- Ashes: a historic five match test between England and Australia which has been played ever since Australia’s first victory over the Brits on English soil in 1882, when a satirical obituary was published saying English cricket had died and its ashes would be taken back to Australia
- skipper: captain of the Australian men’s side
- UNICEF: the United Nations Children’s Fund, a UN agency that advocates for children and protects their rights across the world
- ambassador: a representative or promoter of a brand or cause
- resilience: the ability to bounce back during challenging times
- handicaps: when you are given an advantage to make things more equal between players
- adamant: absolutely certain about something
- fundamental: an essential part of something
EXTRA READING
Get loud on World Children’s Day
How play helps keeps you healthy
Why children have a Right to Play
QUICK QUIZ
1. Which two sports did Pat Cummins play the most with his brothers and sisters growing up?
2. What sort of lessons does play teach?
3. What fun things has Cummins being doing with his son Albie?
4. What message does Cummins want to get across to kids about the importance of play?
5. What date is World Children’s Day?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What makes Pat a good role model?
What makes Pat Cummins a good role model? Write a list of all the reasons that you can think of.
Time: allow at least 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education
2. Extension
"Schools should give every student an extra hour for play every day!" Write a proposal to the government using information from the story that would convince them to allow this. (Remember to include ideas to help make sure that nobody wastes this time.)
Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the event being discussed in the article, or for the interview.
Create a conversation between two characters from the article - you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.
Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.