Nine Reasons Why Children (and grown-ups) Should Spend More Time Playing
Nine Reasons Why Children (and grown-ups) Should Spend More Time Playing.
We’ve all been there. The school or workday has officially ended but there are still tasks that need to be finished before morning. It seems like the best course of action is to buckle down and get the work done as soon as you—or whoever has work to do—get home. Though the idea that if you get your work done now, you’ll have the whole evening in front of you sounds enticing in theory, in practice it’s hard to convince yourself or someone else that hitting the books or the screen right now is the best thing to do.
You know why? Because studies show that after a sustained period without a significant break, productivity diminishes. After a certain point (55 hours of work in one week for adults), productivity goes down to near zero. The same is true for children. The National Education Association and the National Parent Teacher Association advocate for ten minutes of homework per grade, meaning that first graders should have ten minutes, second graders twenty minutes, etc. These same organizations don’t put any limits on play.
Read on for nine benefits of play.
Focus and Attention.
Play releases norepinephrine—a naturally occurring hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter—which helps regulate the sympathetic nervous system. This promotes focus and attention. -If play is followed by learning, like recess or a trip to the park after school, kids are more focused during learning, and better able to concentrate on task at hand.
Improved Behavior
When kids are engaged in play, they are less likely to act out because they have a positive outlet for their energy. Some negative behaviors in children (and adults) stem from sensory dysregulation. Different types of play are good for either giving participants the sensory input they crave or allowing them to avoid sensory input that disrupts their equilibrium. Play can help regulate the sensory system.
Negative behavior may also be caused by anxiety or stress. As you’ll see a few paragraphs down, play reduces stress. When the cause of the behavior is diminished, the behavior diminishes as well.
Creativity
Think about what you do when you play. You might use your imagination to create a new world or figure out how to get away from your pursuer or best your opponent. Play fosters creativity and provides opportunities to use your analytic ability, and problem-solving skills. Play helps us make strong connections between the left and right sides of the brain.
The Changing Brain
Play changes the brain. Play opens up neural pathways. Play accelerates learning or skill acquisition twenty times the speed of the same acquisition in other settings. The more we do an activity, the faster or more natural that activity becomes; the skills we learn in play, such as dexterity or balance, transfer to other areas of our life.
Play is a natural motivator. We want to continue mastering skills—whether we are doing so consciously or unconsciously, because we are having fun.
Stress Reduction
Cortisol is another naturally occurring hormone, often produced as a response to stress. Some cortisol is good, it regulates metabolism, stimulates immune response, and assists with the formation of memories. Too much cortisol can lead to rapid weight gain, muscle weakness, and difficulty with memory recall. Play reduces stress, thereby reducing the level of cortisol released into the body.
Better sleep
Cortisol also impacts our ability to sleep. Sleep allows the body to heal and is critical to memory consolidation. When we are exposed to stress and blue screens throughout the day, our cortisol levels rise. Without these, out cortisol levels would naturally decrease, leading to something called sleep pressure, or the urge to rest. Our 21st century lives don’t allow for this.
What can we do? Play! When we play, a neurochemical is released that reduces or manage the effects of cortisol. With cortisol reduced, we are able to sleep, healing the body and the mind. Of course, a full night’s sleep gives us a better foundation for learning and productivity the next day.
Social Skills
Children learn social skills in an authentic setting during play. They practice turn taking, impulse control, and executive functioning, through such things as waiting their turn, or planning their next move. Though communication begins with parents and teachers, the majority of communication skills are learned from peers during play. In play we use both our voices and our bodies to respond, request, guess, gesture, etc.
Promotes Physical Activity
The 21st century has offered us even greater opportunities to play while sitting still (or laying down) than any other era. Still, many types of play promote physical activity. This is especially important in the United States where the obesity rate over the last decade has been over 40% and has been close to 20% among kids. Play encourages overall health and wellbeing.
Promotes Happiness
Back to neurotransmitters for a minute before we go. Play releases serotonin which regulates moods and inhibits pain, as well as dopamine which promotes feelings of motivation and reward. Play causes these two natural chemical compounds to release at a higher rate than most other activities.
Play Improves confidence, and self-efficacy It reduces stress and anxiety and supports overall happiness.
So go out there and grab a ball, play tag, jump rope, or hide and seek. Invite your kid to come along with you too!