Is it Time to Add More Play to Your Life?
S. 5 E.74
Do you want more fun in your life? Listen to this episode to find out why play is not only fun, it is important!
Show Notes:
In this episode:
What is the first thing you think about when we tell you that we all need to incorporate more play into our adult lives? That play is silly? Maybe a waste of time when you could be doing something more productive? Don’t worry. We aren’t judging. We understand. But the research suggests we are all wrong when we don’t incorporate playfulness into our lives. We actually need to be more playful in our adult lives.
In this episode, we’ll tell you why it is important to incorporate more play into our lives and explore easy options for adding more play. We will not only give your permission to add more play into your days, we will give you the justification to do so!
Introduction:
As teachers, and parents, we see kids play all the time. We often watch from afar, smile, and consider that play is something we no longer have the time or energy for. But, as we are learning, we are wrong. We should be taking a lesson from kids and asking ourselves, “When and why did we lose the desire for playfulness in our lives?”
First, we should define play.
Play is engaging in an activity for enjoyment or recreation, rather than a serious or practical purpose. Play is an action that you do or take part in that is done for joy and not for a result other than enjoyment.
It is important to define play because sometimes we can be a bit confused about what it is.
For example, for some people a bike ride can be play. They are enjoying the ride, taking pleasure in the fresh air and scenery. However, if you are riding for the specific purpose of losing two pounds by Friday to fit into that dress you want to wear on Saturday, that bike ride is NOT play. If you are riding for a result, for a practical purpose, not just for pure enjoyment, then it is a means to an end instead of play.
Benefits of Play
There are so many benefits of play that they are almost too numerous to list but we will give you a brief summary of those we think are most meaningful. As we discuss each, we will also share a few of our favorite types of play in case you are looking for a few suggestions as to where to start.
Play is at the heart of creativity.
As teachers, having creativity makes our jobs easier. However, rigid curriculums and recent mandates out of our control have meant that teachers sometimes don’t have the creative freedom we once had. That is all the more reason that we need to tap into our creativity through play.
We can tap into our creativity through a painting night with friends. You can paint boards, signs, wine glasses, or ornaments.
You can also tap into your creativity by taking an acting class, a dance class, or watching YouTube videos to learn how to create crafts and decorations in your home.
Don’t worry about it not looking good or doing it wrong. Author Joseph Chilton Pearce said it best when he said, “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”
Remember, the point of play is to enjoy, not to meet an end goal or to get something right.
Play is central to innovation.
Big companies have figured out that incorporating an atmosphere of play in the workplace fosters innovative thinking. These companies have added Lego stations, ping pong tables, climbing walls, and video game stations to their daily environment. In addition, they have created fun frequently occurring activities like mid-day hula hoop breaks, company tug of wars in the lobby, lip-sync competitions and company wide outings to sporting events or movies.
While schools may not have the budget or structures to do all of these things, consider what you might do in your own space to incorporate play which will foster innovation.
When is the last time you just sat down and built something with Legos? When was the last time you played a strategy game? Have you ever built a sand castle, watched part of it fall, consider innovative ways to keep it from falling again, and then rebuild it just to see if you can make it stand? We have and it is fun! Consider ways you might add innovative play into your classroom or life.
Play is energizing, invigorating, enlivening, and revitalizing.
Play is a way to charge the battery to your soul. Watch little kids, who were tired just minutes ago, come to life while splashing in a pool or playing a game of tag. Those 4th graders who could barely pay attention in class? Get them into a rousing game of kickball at recess and feel the different energy they bring back into the classroom.
Adults have similar needs, though we have gotten good at stifling them. Go play a fun game of pickleball with friends, run around in the back yard with your dog or ride that zipline the next time you have an opportunity. Just minutes of this type of play can make you feel energized and revitalized. Your blood will get flowing, your heart will get stronger and you may just live longer and healthier as a result.
Play can help you relieve stress.
Play releases endorphins into our system, and who doesn’t want more endorphins? Endorphins make us happy. Play can also bring about laughter, which can, as you have guessed, trigger the release of even more endorphins.
Have you ever been stressed because you were in a group of people you didn’t know well? You may have groaned when the group leader brought out the icebreakers but by the end you are gladly playing along, laughing and likely made a few new friends. The tension was broken through the play incorporated into the icebreaker.
As side effect of this is that play like this can strengthen your relationships with others. Laughing and have fun together can improve even strained relationships.
You can also relieve stress through play when you are by yourself. Put together a puzzle or do a Suduko to take your mind off of what is stressing you.
Speaking of puzzles and word games…
Play can improve your memory, brain function, and mental acuity.
Play has been shown to have positive effects on the part of your brain called the hippocampus. This part of your brain controls your memory and attention span among other things. And the great part is that even physical activity, like playing volleyball with your kids in the backyard, can activate your hippocampus.
The research is still out on exactly how much of an impact that brain games can have on memory directly, though there are many people doing their Wordles and other brain games daily because they feel that playing these games keeps their brains sharp. Whether it actually does or not, there are so many other benefits of play that we say “Play those brain games and enjoy them!”
Play allows us to lose track of time because we get into a state of flow, giving us a break from the “real” and stressful world of adulting.
Flow is when you become so immersed in an activity that you lose track of what is going on around you. Being an adult is hard work. Anytime we can get so immersed in play that we forget about our adult responsibilities for awhile, we are giving ourselves a much-needed break. When your ability to do something is matched with the challenge level of what you are doing, you can more easily fall into flow.
We love this quote from a NYT article titled How to Add More Play to Your Grown-Up Life, Even Now. The author points out that, “Being present doesn’t come easy for most of us, but play forces you to focus on the present so you can take a break from ruminating.”
Paula has a few game apps on her phone that she plays each day. She loves the NYT games as well as a number puzzle game. The level of challenge is just perfect and she can get lost in the flow of the mini crossword or the Connections game each day for just a few brief but glorious minutes.
The Best Ways to Incorporate Play
We are guessing that this all sounds like “fun and games” (pun intended) but you are likely wondering how in the world you can fit this into your life, if you even have an idea where to start.
Here are two easy ways to make sure you best incorporate play into your busy life:
Look for small bursts of play that you can repeat regularly.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t play on that beach vacation, you can and that is great. However, that is not sustainable. If you hold off your play for that once a year vacation, that is a lot of months without the benefits of play.
Instead, find small ways to incorporate play into your work or home life. Start a Friday night dance party tradition at your house where you drop everything and dance every Friday night at a designated time. Or start a fun tradition in your classroom that has everyone, including you, laughing. Find a funny podcast that makes you laugh until you cry and set a goal to listen at least once a week.
Not sure where to start? Think of what made you happy as a child?
What type of play made you happy as a child? How could you replicate or modify that play in small doses in your current life?
For example, as a child, Paula loved card and board games. She still does. Her family has frequent game nights after dinner. She also loved listening to and singing along with music, just belting it out and dancing around. She still likes to do that when she is at home by herself.
Michele loved being in and around water. She still takes every opportunity to walk around a marina or a beach. She also loved reading and writing. What looks like work to some people looks like play to her.
Conclusion:
We will wrap up the content of this episode with this statement taken from an article we read on helpguide.org titled The Benefits of Play for Adults because we think it is an important message to end with:
“Adults often worry that being playful will get them labeled as childish. But what is so wrong with that? Children are incredibly creative, inventive and are constantly learning. Wouldn’t you want to be childish if that is the definition? Remember that as a child, you were naturally playful; you didn’t worry about the reactions of other people. You can reclaim your inner child by setting aside regular, quality playtime. The more you play, joke, and laugh—the easier it becomes.”
Recap:
In this episode, we explored just a few of the many benefits of incorporating play into our adult lives. We hope we have inspired you to think of ways that you can add small bursts of play into your life.
Quote:
Joseph Chilton Pearce “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.”
Joseph Chilton Pearce
Resources mentioned in this episode:
How to Add More Play to Your Grown-Up Life, Even Now
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/14/smarter-living/adults-play-work-life-balance.html
The Benefits of Play for Adults
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/benefits-of-play-for-adults.html
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Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?
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Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.
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