Science: Play is critical for Children (and Adults)

This is a fascinating article on the serious need for play that has implications for the indoor play industry and beyond. It is a dramatic (and scientifically researched) call-to-action to re-imagine the provision and role of play in society.

Anyone involved in play (from soft play equipment suppliers to play operators and parents) should digest this article time and again and immediately consider their part in supporting the creation of a free-play environment; it should immediately change the way in which every play centre is designed, built and operated.

Moreover, this should be read by every parent, by every adult (especially if they have forgotten how to play), by every indoor play operator, by every play designer, by every person who works or lives with children.

This has changed our business forever and renewed our focus on being a catalyst for change in the play industry; please share it with everyone you know.

Key concepts:

• Childhood play is crucial for social, emotional and cognitive development.
• Imaginative and rambunctious “free play,” as opposed to games or structured activities, is the most essential type.
• Kids and animals that do not play when they are young may grow into anxious, socially maladjusted adults.

Some highlights:

“Data suggest that a lack of opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play can keep children from growing into happy, well-adjusted adults. “Free play,” as scientists call it, is critical for becoming socially adept, coping with stress and building cognitive skills such as problem solving”

“a play-deprived childhood disrupts normal social, emotional and cognitive development in humans and animals…limiting free play in kids may result in a generation of anxious, unhappy and socially maladjusted adults. The consequence of a life that is seriously play-deprived is serious stuff… But it is never too late to start: play also promotes the continued mental and physical well-being of adults.”

“The child initiates and creates free play. It might involve fantasies—such as pretending to be doctors or princesses or playing house—or it might include mock fighting, as when kids (primarily boys) wrestle and tumble with one another for fun, switching roles periodically so that neither of them always wins. And free play is most similar to play seen in the animal kingdom, suggesting that it has important evolutionary roots.”

“M. Pellis, a behavioral neuroscientist at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. Although those instincts are natural, protecting kids “simply defrays those costs to later, when those same children will have difficulty in dealing with an unpredictable, complex world,” Pellis says. “A child who has had a rich exposure to social play experiences is more likely to become an adult who can manage unpredictable social situations.”

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