How to Make Play a Part of Your School Day
Like brain breaks, PLAY is important for both your students and YOU as a teacher!
What are the Benefits of PLAY for Adults?
There’s a growing body of research on the benefits of play and the negative consequences of not having enough play in your day.
Here are just some of the benefits of play for adults:
Play can trigger the release of endorphins, which can help you lower your stress levels, and minimize your reaction to stressors.
Play fosters compassion, empathy, trust and intimacy, which all lead to improved relationships.
Play can improve your mental health, can boost your creativity, your ability to focus, and can prevent memory problems - It’s super good for your brain!
People who play more have been shown to appreciate beauty and experience awe more.
Play can make you more intrinsically motivated to move your body and exercise more, improving physical health.
Play can help you feel more emotionally supported during challenging times in life.
The more research we have, the more we confirm that play is essential for human development and ongoing mental, physical, emotional, and social health. Let’s get playing!
Play Isn’t a Specific Activity
Dr Stuart Brown, researcher and founder of The National Institute for Play defines play as a “state of mind that one has when absorbed in an activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of sense of time.”
Play is not a specific activity so much as an attitude where:
You are very present with what you are doing - Not aware of time passing.
You are enjoying the activity for the sake of the activity itself - not as a means to an end.
You could be throwing a ball with a friend, but if your mind is somewhere else or you’re bored and wondering when you can go inside, you won’t be in a play state. Play is when you’re engrossed in the pure joy of throwing the ball and bonding with your friend <3
Everyone is different, so what puts you in a state of play will be different from what puts other people in a state of play.
What is your Play Personality?
Dr. Brown highlights a variety of play personalities. We all are a mix of them, but you may notice that some of them speak to you and make you light up more than the others.
Which of these personalities speak to you?
The Collector: You enjoy collecting things - Whether that be objects like old coins, or experiences like hiking to every waterfall in your area.
The Competitor: You enjoy playing games where you could come out on top - The type of game can range from sports-leagues to board games to racing with your kids at recess.
The Creator or Artist: You find joy in creating things - from music to dance to crafts to electronics. You get absorbed in the creation of something new.
The Director: You enjoy planning and directing, from planning a social outing or vacation to directing a performance.
The Explorer: You love discovering things - Whether that be new information, new places, new people or new concepts.
The Joker: You enjoy being silly and goofy. You love making people laugh around you.
The Kinesthete: You enjoy moving your body as play. You might practice yoga or take a dance class for fun.
The Storyteller: You play by listening to or creating stories. You may enjoy telling a story through theater or through creative writing - or even telling the story of your day to a close friend!
Getting in a Play State at School
Good health involves getting in a play state every day. When could you bring out one of your play personalities during the school day? Here are some ideas I had:
Start a collection of cool objects with your students - something YOU are interested in. Can you collect as many international coins as you can? Can you collect interesting rocks that students have found on their adventures?
Can you create a fun competition with the other teachers in your building just for fun (like who can send the most compliment cards to their coworkers? Or create a playful “swear jar” for teachers who talk about work during social engagements)
Can you get into a play state when writing one of your upcoming lesson plans - Just purely getting excited about creating a new experience for your students?
Start a circle of fun with your students - An experience for you and your students to share a funny joke, teach a silly dance or song, or share a really interesting fact with the group.
Embody the role of the storyteller during a read-aloud. For older students, be the storyteller as you set up scenarios for when they could use the skill your students are building.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What are you typically doing when you experience a state of play? When can you add more play - or at least an attitude of play - to your school week?
Let us know how you add play to your classroom, for both YOU and your students in the comments below!
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Quote of the Week
"We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.”
-George Bernard Shaw
Products I Recommend for Play
Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Dr. Stuart Brown
If you found this teacher wellness post helpful, share it with an educator you care about :)
Until next week,
Emily Hemmingson
Health Coach for Teachers
Founder of The Teacher Wellness Center
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