It is a naturally occurring phenomenon that no one really knows how or why we do it. We know it feels good, we know that it stimulates brain function, creativity, nerve development, social and emotional experience, problem solving and language skills and so much more. But, when there are so many other ways for us to develop all of these things, why is it that nature has preserved, not only our ability to play but other animals and organisms also.
Dr. Stuart Brown (a leading expert in play psychology and the founder of the National Institute for Play) says that play is a system of it’s own. Hard wired into our DNA, suggesting that without archeological and anthropological proof, human beings and animals have always been able to play. He considers it to be an entire system of it’s own, a “state of play” as described in his story of a female husky and a giant polar bear who instead of fighting end up in a “spectacular dance of play”.
The National Institute for Play (founded by Dr. Stuart Brown in 1989) looks into the different types of play that not only us (humans) are capable of, but other species as well.
So what type of play is there? Is it just what we did as kids in the park? or is there more to it than that? Let’s find out.
Here is a description of each of the “types of play” that the NIFP has managed to categorise. Which do you still do? Which do you remember doing? and which did you not even consider?
1. Attunement PLAY – When an infant makes eye contact with her mother, each experiences a spontaneous surge of emotion (joy). The baby responds with a radiant smile, the mother with her own smile and rhythmic vocalizations (baby talk). This is the grounding base of the state-of-play. It is known, through EEG and other imaging technologies, that the right cerebral cortex, which organises emotional control is “attuned” in both infant and mother.
2. Body Play & Movement (our favourite) – If you don’t understand human movement, you won’t really understand yourself or play. If you do, you will reap the benefits of play in your body, personal life and work situations. Learning about self movement structures an individual’s knowledge of the world – it is a way of knowing, and we actually, through movement and play, think in motion. For example the play-driven movement of leaping upward is a lesson about gravity as well as one’s body. And it lights up the brain and fosters learning. Innovation, flexibility, adaptability, resilience, have their roots in movement. The play driven pleasures associated with exploratory body movements, rhythmic early speech (moving vocal cords), locomotor and rotational activity – are done for their own sake; pleasurable, and intrinsically playful. They sculpt the brain, and ready the player for the unexpected and unusual.
3. Object Play – Along with other special patterns of play, the curiosity about and playing with “objects” is a pervasive innately fun pattern of play, and creates its own “states” of playfulness. Early on, toys take on highly personalized characteristics, and as skills in manipulating objects (i.e., banging on pans, skipping rocks, etc.) develop, the richer become the circuits in the brain. Hands playing with all types of objects help brains develop beyond strictly manipulative skills, with play as the driver of this development.
The correlation of effective adult problem solving and earlier encouragement of and facility in manipulating objects has been established. The science of progressively more complex object play and its relation to overall competency has sparked research interest in corporate “work readiness”, in that a deficiency in fixing things by hand during one’s youth may well mean deficiencies in complex problem solving in challenging work settings as an adult. To be a good research engineer, for example may mean that the times spent in high school fixing cars or building airplane models are as important as getting an advanced degree, particularly if the engineer is also expected to function as an innovative problem solver.
4. Social Play – From the simplest romp and wrestling of young animals to the most jocular and complex banter of close friends, social play is a key aspect of play behavior. The science of social play is complex, but can be studied selectively. The NIFP has a particular interest in early parent infant play, better understanding of the signals that herald and maintain social play, ( Such as the play face, various play body languages, as, in domestic dogs, the play-bow with wagging tail). Fostering social play and evaluating its effects in aged populations is also an NIFP priority.
5. Imaginative & Pretend play – The ability of the young child to create their own sense of their mind, and that of others, takes place through pretend play, which continues to nourish the spirit throughout life, and remains key to innovation and creativity. Deprivation studies uphold the importance of this pattern of play, as understanding and trusting others and developing coping skills depends on its presence. The NIFP, in its curriculum development for preschools will emphasise pretend-play techniques.
6. Storytelling-Narrative play – Storytelling, the way most kids love to learn, is, when under the play microscope, identified as the unit of human intelligibility. Making sense of the world, its parts and one’s particular place in it is a central aspect of early development. And as we grow, the constancy of stories that enliven and help us understand ourselves and others, from a parent’s telling how it was when they were young, to media-driven stories like Big Bird’s rants to Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon yarns; all involve us in a never ending fun-giving experience. They give us permission to expand our own inner stream of consciousness, enrich our personal narratives with pleasure and fun as our own life stories unfold. “What is the current movie of your life?” If it has comedic overtones, it is likely that your play quiver is more than half full. It is in their capacity to produce a sense of timelessness, pleasure and the altered state of vicarious involvement that identifies narrative and storytelling with states of play.
7. Creative play – We can access fantasy-play to transcend the reality of our ordinary lives, and in the process germinate new ideas, and shape and re-shape them. Given enriched circumstances, and access to novelty, our play drive takes us into these realms spontaneously. Whether like Einstein imaginatively riding pleasurably on a sunbeam at the speed of light, or a light-hearted group of IDEO corporation designers wildly imagining a new product, each is using their playfulness to innovate and create. With the advent of brain imaging technology, these natural tendencies, so important to adaptation in a changing world, may be better understood and fostered. Play + Science = Transformation.
There is so much research around and support of the benefits of play. It’s time to stop being so serious about life and start enjoying it more.
Here is proof that not only does it make you feel better but it enhances your ability to do everything. Everyone want’s better relationships, better concentration, more physical capabilities, better memory and more skills. So why not follow what is written above and use every kind of play.
Enjoy your day & PLAY 🙂
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