It would be great if students left school valuing play and playfulness, and possibly having developed their own play practice. This could happen with little change to the curriculum if play was valued and encouraged in schools and classrooms by teachers, students, parents, and administrators, in our work and our cultures in general.
When I speak of play I am talking about what you might think of when you remember yourself or a child engaged in play or in something playful. It might be rough and tumble play, pretend play, game play, sharing a joke, writing code, baking a cake, planning a party, weeding a garden, research, building something, team management, etc.
What exactly play is depends on the person. Play can be purposeful or purposeless – both have value. Play can involve the serious, the funny, imagination, the literal, constructing, deconstructing, observation, interaction … it is always engaging.
What one person finds playful, another may not. People don’t always have a smile on their face when they are in a state of play.
Sometimes play is easier to catch if we are hunting for it. When we understand what play / playfulness is for us we can then apply it to a work or a situation we are in. Why? Because rather than being distracting play often provides for deeper engagement and connection in solo or group play.
I accomplished a long term goal that an acquaintance was surprised to hear about and when they asked me out of the blue how I had done it, I gave an off-the-cuff answer, but later I thought OMG I never talked about how play helped me accomplish the goal. It was then I realized that I had developed a play practice without thinking about it, and began to seriously apply play to all kinds of projects, life changes, and situations. Building a play practice has changed how I approach my life.
When we learn what we enjoy playing at, and with, and what invitations we give and accept around play, we can then engage with it in a situation, a problem, a chore, an aspect of our work, a relationship issue, etc. If nothing else, “play breaks” can be helpful and they don’t take long to do.
The question I keep asking is “Can I play with this?” and “Is there anything I can’t play with?” And, I keep finding answers even in serious circumstances and with real life problems. It’s been a game changer for me.
Think of all the different ways there are to play, it is a never ending gift to human kind.
My belief is that play is one of the things that is at the heart of learning, growing and developing as a human being. Play, playfulness and/or a play practice are lifelong tools that can be used anytime, anywhere, and in all kinds of ways.
Some people believe play is “taught” out of students, it doesn’t have to be that way. And, if it has been taught out of us, play is always around the corner waiting for us.
Enjoy the stories, and have a playful day,
– Mary
P.S. If play was a beagle, it would have a four legs, a wagging tail, and a welcoming bark.
