importance of play

Current Events

The Power of Play: Touching Us All

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Just recently, two powerful articles have included children and play. We cannot question the value and importance of play. Last week, the dream of a 5 year- old boy came true. Suffering from leukemia, he wanted to play a SuperHero, so dressed as Batkid, he saved Gotham City. More than 20,000 people in the city of San Francisco played along with him. They all played and pretended, and created a connection deeper than they ever imagined.

©Twitter/make-A-Wish Bay Area
©Twitter/make-A-Wish Bay Area

I had no problem smiling and laughing as I read that article. But in the next one, I didn’t know whether to smile or cry: Sign of Hope in Phillippines: Children Playing Again. The Philippines has been devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. Homeless, hungry, fighting disease, millions have been affected. Children have been wounded and orphaned, and in the midst of the trauma, there’s a sign of hope. The children have begun to play. Play is helping the children cope with the immense tragedy and profound fear. Play.

Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Damir Sagolj/Reuters

How can children play, in the midst of all this chaos? An American folklorist, Brian Sutton-Smith, said “The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.” If the opposite of depression is hope, then as children play, they truly express hope. How are you and your children playing today?

Play Activities

Universal Children’s Day: For Learning, Play, & Connecting

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Universal Children's DayEach year, November 20th, is Universal Children’s Day as established by the United Nations. Started in 1954, Universal Children’s Day promotes the welfare of children and children’s connection to each other all over the world. One of the rights of children, is the right to play. Since the purpose of this website is to support children’s early learning and play, that seems especially relevant.

Why is play so significant? Quite simply, because play is how a child learns. The activity does not matter; it could be building with blocks, cuddling a stuffie, putting together a puzzle or throwing stones in a puddle. It could even be washing the dishes or putting away the groceries or playing I Spy while sitting and waiting.

importance of playIf a child is eager and having fun, creating, discovering and manipulating, this is play.  Through play, children connect their inner and outer worlds, increasing their knowledge and understanding and gaining confidence in themselves.

AND YES, children do indeed learn thru play. All kinds of brain connections are created and thinking skills developed in play. These are not just ‘academic’ or school-work skills, but social, emotional, and physical ones too. For the most part what children are learning is invisible, we don’t see those pathways and networks growing in children’s minds.

block playKids do not just play with toys. They play with rocks, sticks, sandwich containers, pots and pans, the garden hose, mud, sand, water, bugs, kitchen chairs, blankets, keys, and parents’ electronic devices. While playing with cell phones, kids have called strangers in other countries. They have reprogrammed computers and unprogrammed TVs. To a child practically anything can be a toy.

Children play by themselves independently and with others. Play can be loud and active, or calm and quiet, although when it’s too quiet parents and caregivers get worried and run to check what a child is doing.

Some communities might have special events for Universal Children’s Day. Just having some time to play is another way to honor the day. How will your child–and you–play?

Play Activities

Child’s Play That Rocks Now and In the Future

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Does your child like rocks? Putting rocks in pockets also puts lots of learning, fun, and even kindergarten readiness into brains. Here’s another example of childhood play that grows along with the child and into adulthood.

Children all over the world collect rocks, and so does my friend and colleague Colin Martin. Just like the other adults featured so far: the mathematician that enjoyed numbers, the artist that drew on the wall about the age of 2, the designer that always liked to draw, the singer who dreamed of performing also about the age of 2, the nurse that played with Dr. Barbie, and others, as a child Colin had a play favorite–rocks.

children's play with rocksBefore Colin started school, he learned the names of the different kinds he found. At the age of 4, using ordinary glue, he attached his rocks on to a big piece of plywood. With a dial-up label maker, he painstakingly found each letter and created labels for his rocks. His treasures were not always greeted positively at home; nevertheless, his love of rocks endured and he now creates stunning jewelry designs with rocks and gems. Earlier this year, he packed a backpack and trekked off to some isolated corners to find more, leaving his electronics at home, so he’d have more room in his pockets and packs for rocks.

Rocks can help kids with attention and focusing. When gathering them, kids learn to pay attention to rocks and leave out other treasures. There’s vocabulary and talking about rocks, organizing skills, and problem solving. Through rocks, children also connect to nature. There’s all kinds of thinking that comes into play when collecting. Play, of course, is the significant word. As kids play, they also pick up information about colors, sizes, and shapes. Rocks can help with math and science. Just like Colin, kids will build and create, making forts, dens, and other constructions. Or they may bake rock cakes.

Colors on walls, rocks in pockets, and frogs in drawers (as my mother reminds me), are certainly challenges to parents’ patience but adults need to remember that play is important to a child. How children play can echo into the future. For some play fun today, can your child play with rocks?

Play Activities

From Child’s Play to A Play World for All: Disney

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Play is more than fun; it can extend far beyond early learning and kindergarten readiness to a magical kingdom that has entertained millions for almost 60 years. Any discussion about child’s play and how it can influence an adult’s world would have to include one of the great creators of the world’s biggest playground, Walt … Continue reading From Child’s Play to A Play World for All: Disney →

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Child’s Play Reaches To Outer Space

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Children all over the world dream of flying and adventuring to space, and for some kids that play can be a dream come true. Play is important for learning, fun, and readiness for school in kindergarten, but more significantly, for life! Astronaut Chris Hadfield adventured far beyond Earth to the International Space Station Endeavour. He … Continue reading Child’s Play Reaches To Outer Space →

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Play is Serious Business: Here’s Another Example!

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I’m sure having fun with this series of posts on adult jobs that grew from children’s play. Play contains all kinds of learning, as well as fun, that has influence far beyond kindergarten readiness all the way to adulthood. Besides The Human Computer, Shakuntala Devi, who played with numbers, and Raymond Loewy, the industrial designer, … Continue reading Play is Serious Business: Here’s Another Example! →

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Kindergarten Readiness Develops Through Play

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Play is one of the best ways that we all learn and through play kids develop and grow much more than kindergarten readiness. What exactly is play? It’s experimenting, discovery, creating, and interacting with real or imagined objects and people. And what do kids play with? Anything! Usually when we think of play, we pair … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness Develops Through Play →