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The Importance of Play for Everyone!
by Leisa A. Bailey, Ph.D.
Having fun and “play” is as important to our physical and mental health as getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising. What constitutes play varies, but real play has some important elements – it stretches us and brings joy. Play may involve art, photography, cooking, flowers or gardens, making music, or physical challenges. Play enhances experiences, helps relieve stress, and connects us to others and the world around us. Play can make work more productive and pleasurable. Play is enjoyable and renewing. Playing will activate creativity and passion, and is quite simply, a necessary component of healthy living.
Play time has traditionally been a cherished part of childhood. However, this has become endangered. Once there were hours of unstructured time for children to create, explore and play. Today children are in pre-arranged after school activities or organized lessons. While these activities have value, children need a variety of play activities that develop gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, and social-emotional skills. A 2007 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics documents that play promotes not only behavioral development but brain growth as well. Play that involves large muscles (running, climbing, jumping develops gross motor skills, helps prevent weight problems, and promotes physical wellness. Drawing, painting, and building with blocks can help develop fine motor skills, while organizing and sorting objects, doing puzzles, and playing guessing games are important to cognitive development. Finally, make-believe games support creativity, communication, social-emotional skills, and problem solving.
It is a disturbing reality that most schools are cutting back on the amount of time spent on play in the classroom to make more time for “teaching”. Recess is seen as unnecessary and lunchtime is often shortened. However research clearly shows this is a bad decision. A 2009 study published in the Journal Pediatrics shows students who received more than 15 minutes of free play a day were better behaved than those who had no recess period. Research has also shown that there has not been an academic advantage in either reading or math for children in programs where there was shift from play to a more academic curriculum; and there is an increase in test anxiety, and more negative attitudes toward school. Even kindergartens, once dedicated to learning through play, have become full-day academic institutions that include testing and homework. A 1999 survey found that nearly a third of kindergarten classes did not have a recess period!
Play time is also important at home. Parents who play with their child help with the development of attachment, security and connectedness. While video or computer games can be a form of play, investigate less high-tech alternatives and consider the radical idea of setting aside time for battery/electricity free play experiences. Encourage less structure and more creativity in your child’s play activities.
Play is also important for adults. Too often, grownups forget to play. Life is often stressful, serious, and some view adult play as a waste of time. But play, it turns out, is important for adults as well as children. Bringing play back into adult lives models for our children the value of balance.
Play is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. Playing together brings joy, vitality, and resilience to relationships. Friends or couples who play together report feeling greater intimacy and closeness. Play bonds those who engage in it and helps to shake tensions and aggressions. Play can heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Enjoyment, laughter and play are essential components of strong, healthy relationships. By making a conscious effort to incorporate more humor and play into your daily interactions, you can improve the quality of your love relationships – as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends.
“What do most Nobel Laureates, innovative entrepreneurs, artists and performers, well-adjusted children, happy couples and families, and the most successfully adapted mammals have in common? They play enthusiastically throughout their lives.”
~Stuart Brown, Institute of Play