The Importance of Play

At the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley fun is one of our core values. While it may sound intuitive – of course everyone wants kids to have fun – there’s research to support that good old-fashioned fun, or play, is important for youth development, and that these days kids (and adults) aren’t getting enough of it. At our Club we’ve made a commitment to make sure our youth (and our staff) do!

Stuart Brown, M.D., in his book: Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul, creates a compelling argument that people are experiencing a deficit of play, and that this is linked to various mental health challenges, as well as a lack of creativity and innovative thinking in the workplace.

What exactly is play, and why is it so important?

“Taxi! Taxi rides here!” a first grader calls out from inside a hula hoop she is straddling. She stops to pick up a fellow first grader for her taxi ride, and they are off across the black top, one of many outdoor play areas at the Club. They are totally immersed, barely aware of time or that I am watching them, until I ask, “How can I get a ride in the taxi?” “You call us,” one child answers. Without a moment’s hesitation, they fold me into their imaginative world of Taxi, and just like that, I am having fun, too! Moments later, another child showed me her jump roping skills. She was struggling, but at the same time happy, persistent and passionate about becoming better, telling me that she hoped to become a jump roping coach one day.

These examples of play highlight the inherent properties of play: no one was telling them what to do (they were engaged in an activity for its own sake), what they were doing was meaningful to them and they were having fun (they looked joyful, engaged, unaware of time), and they were completely unselfconscious. They were also improvising, they demonstrated a desire to keep playing, and they were naturally practicing social skills like turn-taking, emotion regulation and conflict resolution.

The scientist John Byers believes that during play the brain makes sense of itself through simulation and testing. The opportunity to try and test in a safe environment helps the part of the brain responsible for organizing thoughts and feelings, planning for the future and discriminating between relevant and irrelevant information.

As a parent or caregiver, how can you support your child’s play?

Understanding an individual’s play personality is one place to start. Thinking about what your child liked to play when they were very young can give you a clue. Do they like to push their bodies and feel the result? Do they like to explore or learn new things? Do they like to compete, direct, collect, build or create, or is imagination or stories the center of their play? Often people have a combination of two of or more of these play personalities. At the Club, we seek to give youth opportunities to choose from various activities so we can address the various play personalities, and at home you could consider doing the same. If you’ve been thinking play is a waste of time, try to frame play as important for the brain, like eating healthily, or as an opportunity to learn a new skill or engage in an activity that brings more joy into the day that also prepares someone for future challenges. 

When youth are given the chance to learn in a play-based way, they are more engaged and more likely to remember what they’ve learned, as well as find it meaningful and relevant to their lives. Youth at the Club have: pretended to run a business, built something they designed, competed with a peer in a game of chess, acted on stage, joined a basketball team, made dog toys and treats for a rescued dog’s holiday stocking, learned to dance and so much more! And the focus on play-based learning at the Club is paying off! Youth are making friends, learning to regulate emotions, solve problems, stay curious, feel confident, think creatively, connect with the community, work on a team, and have fun – all requirements to help them reach their full potential and lead happy and productive lives! I hope you’ll consider helping at home by modelling your own lifelong love for play!

For more about play-based learning, visit: The LEGO Foundation – About Us