23. The power of play
What do you do for fun? Are you someone who loves to play, or do you think it’s just for kids? Do you feel like you’re supposed to work all the time, or can you stop and revel in the joy of an unstructured or “unproductive” activity? Are your preferred modes of play active? Creative? Social? Competitive? Relaxing?
When was the last time you played?
Psychologists tell us play is a crucial activity for learning and development — through play we learn language skills, experience our emotions, exercise our creativity, take risks, and socialize with others. This is true in children, but as we now understand that our brains continue to grow and change throughout our lives, this means play is critical for us at any age.
When I wrote an earlier draft of this chapter, I described myself as someone who doesn’t know how to play. I was a child who grew up around adults, including my grandparents who were in their sixties. I don’t remember playing with other kids until I went to school.
Research led me to a different understanding. In his book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, Stuart Brown explains that there are different kinds of play. He posits that different types of play cultivate different aspects of our development.
