Play Is a Four Letter Word

"The opposite of play is not work, it is depression!" Dr. Stuart Brown shares this and other important insights in his TED video .

For years I have believed and taught about Learning Through Play in my workshops on brain research and learning. My original training as an early childhood teacher made a powerful impact on my philosophy and as I learn more about brain science, stress and humor, I am convinced that play is a critical key to a healthy lifestyle. Play is especially important in the learning process and not just for early elementary students, but for ALL learners including high school and adults.

However, play is a four letter word. The very mention of play to a group of teachers will often produce visible signs of anxiety with verbal comments such as, "We just don't have time for frivolous activity" or "We are serious about learning here at SMART High School" Play is even being taken out of the kindergarten curriculum in many schools as related in this article in Science Daily; All Work and No Play. There are reports of schools being built without playgrounds---so pervasive is the mindset that play is the opposite of having learning.

We learn best through movement, strong emotions and yes--through play! Yet in every educator workshop on stress that I facilitate, teachers share their concerns about the decrease in time for play, the increased amount of stress they observe and how they know this stress is negatively impacting student learning.

According to an article by Susan Shepardson in Play; Priceless: "Psychologists believe that changes in children’s play have negatively impacted cognitive and emotional development. Because children’s activities are now more regulated by adults, children are not able to practice regulating them. Self-regulation is a crucial developmental task. Developmental neuroscience research provides evidence that free-play actually helps children develop a critical cognitive skill called executive function"

So make today a PLAY DAY and have fun with this four letter word!

For more research links on play and learning go to the links on my Humor Quest web site