May 25, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode of the Globally Thriving Families Podcast, host Clare O'Byrne, a parent coach and occupational therapist, explores the essential role of play in child development and its significance for adults. Clare discusses the science behind how play builds neural pathways in the brain, supports cognitive, physical, and social skills, and enhances executive function. She also highlights the benefits of unstructured play and imaginative play for children, and the positive impact of play on adult mental and physical health. Clare emphasizes the importance of making time for play and offers practical suggestions for incorporating playful activities into everyday life.
00:00 Introduction to Globally Thriving Families Podcast
01:03 The Importance of Play in Child Development
03:54 Neuroplasticity and Learning Through Play
08:44 Supporting Your Child's Development Through Play
11:33 The Value of Play for Adults
15:18 Practical Tips for Incorporating Play
17:07 Conclusion and Contact Information
Find Your Play Personality: https://nifplay.org/what-is-play/play-personalities/
Connect with Clare: globally.thriving@gmail.com
Website: https://www.globallythriving.com
Connect with Clare on Instagram: http://instagram.com/globally_thriving
Book a free 20 minute call with Clare: https://tidycal.com/globallythriving/20-minute-meeting
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Are you a parent or caregiverraising your child
internationally?
Are you curious about how tonurture your child's
development?
But find all the parentinginformation out there confusing?
If so, you are in the rightplace.
Welcome to the Globally ThrivingFamilies Podcast.
I'm your host, Clare O'Byrne, aparent coach and occupational
(00:27):
therapist with a passion forsupporting children and their
families for more than 25 years.
Whether it's understanding howto build resilience to practical
tips for language development,screen time challenges, and
staying calm amongst the chaos,Globally Thriving Families is
here to help.
(00:48):
Join me as we explore the topicsthat give you the insights and
guidance you need to supportyour children to thrive.
No matter where your family'sadventures take you.
Hi there.
Today's topic is all about play.
Now I could talk about thistopic all day, but since we
(01:10):
don't have all day over the nextfew minutes, we'll cover why
play is essential for children,what's the science behind it and
why it's definitely not just forkids.
So play is everything reallyit's so powerful.
Through play children areliterally building pathways in
their brain, which will shapetheir future learning and
(01:32):
overall functioning into adulthood.
In a nutshell there is so muchrich learning that comes from
play and playful interactionsfrom day one of life.
Play is the way our childrendevelop their language, their
physical skills, their cognitiveskills and their social skills.
(01:53):
Play supports the development ofnurturing relationships with
family and caregivers, which isvital for children to be able to
thrive.
Between zero to three years, achild's brain is developing
faster than at any other time intheir life.
Babies are born with about ahundred billion cells called
(02:14):
neurons, which form connectionswith other neurons.
The interactions and experiencesbabies have directly affect
those connections.
Now you've heard the concept ofuse it or lose it right?
Well, this applies to ourneurons as well.
As a child matures theconnections between the neurons
start to decrease.
(02:35):
It's a process called pruning,which is just like the gardening
term.
So the connections that get useda lot become stronger.
And the ones that don't get useda lot, start to disappear.
So thinking of an example ofthis could be when somebody's
learning a musical instrument,let's say it's the violin.
So at first everything mightfeel very awkward and tricky
(02:59):
when you first start playing Youhave to get used to holding the
violin correctly with one hand,holding the bow with the other
hand, and then coordinating thefingers to make the notes while
the other hand is moving the bowto create the sounds.
There's quite a lot happeningall at the same time.
And no wonder at first itwouldn't really sound that good.
(03:19):
But the more consistentexperience you have with it, the
more your body remembers thepostures that you needed to be
in and the movements and theother dynamics and details of
playing.
And then actually the better itstarts to sound.
So, this is because the neuralpathways have become stronger.
The consistent practice hasstrengthened the connections
(03:40):
between the neurons.
And these neural connectionsthat are being strengthened
through our experiences andinteractions lay the foundation
for future learning anddevelopment through childhood
and beyond.
The process is calledneuro-plasticity.
So.
That's the brain's ability toadapt as a result of our
(04:02):
experiences and our environment.
It's actually wonderful as ithelps us learn new things and
also regain or refresh oldskills.
So going back to the violinexample.
Well, if you were someone wholearned the violin as a child,
and those neural connectionsstrengthened, the more you
played and maybe you got quitegood at it.
(04:23):
But then you stopped doing itfor 20 years and took it up
again, you will have lost someof those connections.
But it doesn't mean that youcan't regain some of those old
skills back by taking it upagain.
It's just, you'll be out ofpractice and it will take a
little time to get there.
Play gives babies and children achance to learn how to engage
(04:47):
with the world around them.
A baby's first experience ofplay comes in the form of
interactions with caregivers andsiblings known as serve and
return interactions.
So these are exchanges that goback and forth between the baby
and the caregiver such as smilesand songs and facial
expressions.
And so that's a baby's firstexperience of play.
(05:10):
As a baby develops, theirability to move around, interact
with objects and experiment withmovement and using their other
senses continues to build andstrengthen connections in the
brain.
So play is really the means bywhich children are developing
their executive functioningskills.
And if this term executivefunction is new to you, I'm
(05:31):
going to briefly explain it.
Our executive function is like,the air traffic control system
in our brain.
So in our life, there are manycognitive skills that we use to
be able to make decisions, toproblem solve, control our
emotions and our impulses, tothink critically, to be
organized, to prioritize.
(05:54):
And the three main categories ofexecutive function skills are
working memory, mentalflexibility and self control or
self-regulation.
And so under those threecategories come all these other
cognitive skills.
So for children, the only waythey can develop these skills is
(06:14):
through their experiences andinteractions with others and
play is exactly how they getthese experiences.
So let's talk about some otherfeatures of play and how it
supports learning anddevelopment.
So firstly, unstructured play isparticularly valuable for
developing executive function inkids.
(06:36):
It gives children a chance tomake their own decisions as they
go along, try new things, learnhow things work through trial,
and error and practice newskills.
Another feature of play is theability to stimulate creativity
and imagination.
So a child who enjoys playingalone, for example, is using
their imagination and maybethey're creating worlds, or
(06:59):
personalities or roles for theirtoys even.
And in that time they might beexploring social scenarios and
trying out responses anddialogue in a very low risk
environment.
i.e.
not with other kids.
Playing alone is also givingthem some time to process their
thoughts and feelings of theday, and it might be relaxing
(07:20):
and restoring for them.
Some children might also useplay as a way of acting out
something from their ownexperiences.
I remember when my daughter wasa toddler and at the time I was
working full time so she went todaycare and when she was
somewhere between 18 months andtwo years, she was quite verbal
at the time, I remember we wouldput her in the crib after going
(07:43):
through the evening routineevery night, and one night, I
remember we could hear her fromthe top of the stairs.
She was rearranging her Teddy'sin the crib and she was actually
playing daycares with them.
So she was telling them a storyand she was pretending to get
them ready for a nap.
And I don't remember the exactwords that she used, but I do
remember the kind of tone ofvoice she was using.
It was encouraging, but it wasalso authoritative at the same
(08:05):
time.
You know, as a therapist, it waslovely to hear her processing
her experiences this way.
And I just knew it was a reallyrich brain building experience
for her.
Imaginative play can also help achild process difficult
difficult emotions such as fearor loss.
Children who have mental healthconcerns or who have experienced
(08:29):
trauma may benefit from playtherapy, which is a specific
form of psychotherapy.
It helps children explore andexpress their feelings, and
helps them work through thosefeelings and teach coping
strategies.
Here are a few key thoughts thatI have about how you can support
your child's development andmental wellbeing.
(08:50):
Being through play.
So firstly, maximizeopportunities for unstructured
or self-directed play.
When adults let children takethe lead with their play,
children have a chance to maketheir own decisions.
They can experiment; they cantry new things; problem solve,
make their own plans of what todo next.
(09:11):
These vital cognitive skills areused constantly in our daily
life.
Importantly, it's good forchildren to experience being
bored and the reason for this isthat in experiencing boredom,
children have to tolerate andmove past this initial
uncomfortable feeling, figuringout what to do.
(09:35):
And they're developing theseexecutive function skills that I
already mentioned.
Now some children might strugglewith this more than others, and
that can look like maybecomplaining, acting out,
constantly looking to the adultfor direction.
Maybe wanting snacks a lot as adefault course of action.
Remember, one of the areas ofexecutive function is this
(09:57):
self-regulation and a huge partof that is managing frustration.
I will do a whole episode onboredom at some point to discuss
it in more detail because it isa really important topic.
Secondly, give your child spaceto engage in imaginative play
And this is for children of allages.
For some children having spaceto play imaginatively can be a
(10:20):
great way to reset after a busyday at school or at the weekend,
if there have been a lot ofstructured activitites.
Speaking of structuredactivities, over scheduling our
kids can come at the expense ofunstructured and imaginative
play.
So I hope you can see why it'sso valuable to protect this time
for children to be able to playfreely.
(10:43):
Also when you pair imaginative,play with interaction with
others, you can also help todevelop collaboration and
cooperation skills and encouragelanguage development too.
Thirdly, combining movement withplay is so valuable.
Again, this goes for all ages,zero to 99, and don't be afraid
(11:03):
of rough and tumble play.
It can really be beneficial forkids.
And it supports the developmentof so many executive function
skills (11:11):
self control, figuring our their own personal
boundaries, understanding cuesfrom other people just to name a
few.
And it provides some sensorystimulation which can help with
overall nervous systemregulation.
More to come on that too in inanother episode, So that's a
little bit about children andplay.
(11:33):
Now, what about us grownups?
Are we too old to play do youthink?
Well, of course not.
As adults it's easy to getcaught up in the routine of work
or family life.
Can you even remember last timeyou played?
We already know that movementand exercise exercise is good
for us, and we know it impactsour physical and mental health
(11:56):
in a positive way.
Now there is more need forspecific research about the
value and benefits of play foradults.
In the literature there isn't asingle agreed upon definition of
play or playfulness in adults.
But the one I like is, and I'mgoing to quote it.
"Play is an activity that iscarried out for the purpose of
(12:18):
amusement and fun, that isapproached with an enthusiastic
and in the moment attitude andthat is highly interactive".
the end of the quote.
And it was by Van Fleet andFeeney psychology professors at
Carnegie Mellon University whowrote that.
Just a quick note about that,where it mentions about play
(12:39):
being highly interactive theauthors suggested that it
doesn't actually mean highlyinteractive with other people
necessarily.
It can just mean highlyinteractive with the activity
itself.
So becoming really absorbed inthe activity that you're doing.
From a mental wellbeing point ofview, play impacts our hormones
(13:00):
positively in a number of ways.
So physical play releases,endorphins.
Which gives us that feel goodsensation afterwards, similar to
the idea of exercising making usfeel good.
Maybe that runner's high, thatsome people have, or if we're
dancing to a song that we love.
Play also helps lower cortisollevels, which in turn reduces
(13:22):
stress and anxiety.
It can also support ouremotional regulation, which is
the ability to manage the rangeof emotions that we experience.
So if we are less stressed andmore regulated, we can also
think more clearly, and morecreatively.
Social play can stimulate therelease of oxytocin, helping us
(13:45):
to feel emotionally connected tothe people that we're with.
So when we're engaging insomething playful, and in the
moment with a friend or apartner, that feeling of
connection is actuallyheightened.
Also serotonin, which is aneurotransmitter, plays a role
in mood regulation.
So play is about trying andenjoying something without
(14:09):
worrying about the outcome.
The end product or result is notimportant at all.
So you don't have to win oractually be good at something to
enjoy it.
If you are somebody who lovescompetitive sports, then that's
brilliant.
Keep doing that because thatobviously has health benefits
(14:29):
too.
And also consider includingother things in your life that
don't rely on your performanceas such.
And this is what true play isall about.
So let me ask you this, are youthinking:"well I wish I had time
to play" I totally understandthat.
And I also myself feel thepressure of modern life, having
(14:52):
a family and other obligations.
And I also think that there'ssome deep rooted thoughts around
just doing something purely forourselves for fun without it
being productive or helpful toanyone around us.
Well, actually knowing that playhas these benefits for adults as
well as kids tells me that it'ssomething we should give
(15:13):
ourselves permission to maketime for.
If you feel like you don't knowwhere to start with that, there
are some good resources onlineDoctor Stuart Brown who founded
the National Institute for Playdescribes eight different play
personalities, and you can takea quiz online to find out yours,
if you're interested inexploring that.
(15:35):
I'll include the link in theshow notes.
Some really quick examples of inthe moment, activities for fun
could be (15:42):
an impromptu game of keepy-uppy with the balloon,
that's a family favorite in ourhouse.
A waterfight, taking a danceclass.
Dancing around your living room,maybe doing martial arts,
climbing a tree instead of justwatching your kids climb.
Going for a walk in the park.
Doing karaoke.
(16:04):
Taking up a brand new sport, ormaybe revisiting something that
you used to do as a child.
It could be learning to playchess.
Yeah, or just playing chess,flower arranging, taking apart
an old typewriter and trying toput it back together.
Looking at your stampcollection, rearranging your
toolkit or your cupboards.
(16:24):
Playing an instrument.
I mean, the list is endless.
What I'm getting at here is thatwhen we become absorbed with
something that we choose to dofor the sake of it, we're
playing.
Okay.
So in this episode, it's beeninteresting to apply the concept
of.
Neuro-plasticity and play bothto children and adults.
(16:46):
And I hope it's helped you torecognize the value of play, not
just for kids, but but also theneed to make time for play in
your own life.
So, if you want to optimize yourability to learn new things, to
reduce your stress levels andpositively impact your overall
health.
Make time every week to play.
(17:07):
Thanks so much for listeningtoday.
If you want to get in touch, youcan find me@globallythriving.com
or on Instagram.
You can find me at globallyunderscore thriving.
I'd love to hear from you.
See you next time.
Are you a parent or caregiverraising your child
internationally?
Are you curious about how tonurture your child's
development?
But find all the parentinginformation out there confusing?
If so, you are in the rightplace.
Welcome to the Globally ThrivingFamilies Podcast.
I'm your host, Clare O'Byrne, aparent coach and occupational
(00:27):
therapist with a passion forsupporting children and their
families for more than 25 years.
Whether it's understanding howto build resilience to practical
tips for language development,screen time challenges, and
staying calm amongst the chaos,Globally Thriving Families is
here to help.
(00:48):
Join me as we explore the topicsthat give you the insights and
guidance you need to supportyour children to thrive.
No matter where your family'sadventures take you.
Hi there.
Today's topic is all about play.
Now I could talk about thistopic all day, but since we
(01:10):
don't have all day over the nextfew minutes, we'll cover why
play is essential for children,what's the science behind it and
why it's definitely not just forkids.
So play is everything reallyit's so powerful.
Through play children areliterally building pathways in
their brain, which will shapetheir future learning and
(01:32):
overall functioning into adulthood.
In a nutshell there is so muchrich learning that comes from
play and playful interactionsfrom day one of life.
Play is the way our childrendevelop their language, their
physical skills, their cognitiveskills and their social skills.
(01:53):
Play supports the development ofnurturing relationships with
family and caregivers, which isvital for children to be able to
thrive.
Between zero to three years, achild's brain is developing
faster than at any other time intheir life.
Babies are born with about ahundred billion cells called
(02:14):
neurons, which form connectionswith other neurons.
The interactions and experiencesbabies have directly affect
those connections.
Now you've heard the concept ofuse it or lose it right?
Well, this applies to ourneurons as well.
As a child matures theconnections between the neurons
start to decrease.
(02:35):
It's a process called pruning,which is just like the gardening
term.
So the connections that get useda lot become stronger.
And the ones that don't get useda lot, start to disappear.
So thinking of an example ofthis could be when somebody's
learning a musical instrument,let's say it's the violin.
So at first everything mightfeel very awkward and tricky
(02:59):
when you first start playing Youhave to get used to holding the
violin correctly with one hand,holding the bow with the other
hand, and then coordinating thefingers to make the notes while
the other hand is moving the bowto create the sounds.
There's quite a lot happeningall at the same time.
And no wonder at first itwouldn't really sound that good.
(03:19):
But the more consistentexperience you have with it, the
more your body remembers thepostures that you needed to be
in and the movements and theother dynamics and details of
playing.
And then actually the better itstarts to sound.
So, this is because the neuralpathways have become stronger.
The consistent practice hasstrengthened the connections
(03:40):
between the neurons.
And these neural connectionsthat are being strengthened
through our experiences andinteractions lay the foundation
for future learning anddevelopment through childhood
and beyond.
The process is calledneuro-plasticity.
So.
That's the brain's ability toadapt as a result of our
(04:02):
experiences and our environment.
It's actually wonderful as ithelps us learn new things and
also regain or refresh oldskills.
So going back to the violinexample.
Well, if you were someone wholearned the violin as a child,
and those neural connectionsstrengthened, the more you
played and maybe you got quitegood at it.
(04:23):
But then you stopped doing itfor 20 years and took it up
again, you will have lost someof those connections.
But it doesn't mean that youcan't regain some of those old
skills back by taking it upagain.
It's just, you'll be out ofpractice and it will take a
little time to get there.
Play gives babies and children achance to learn how to engage
(04:47):
with the world around them.
A baby's first experience ofplay comes in the form of
interactions with caregivers andsiblings known as serve and
return interactions.
So these are exchanges that goback and forth between the baby
and the caregiver such as smilesand songs and facial
expressions.
And so that's a baby's firstexperience of play.
(05:10):
As a baby develops, theirability to move around, interact
with objects and experiment withmovement and using their other
senses continues to build andstrengthen connections in the
brain.
So play is really the means bywhich children are developing
their executive functioningskills.
And if this term executivefunction is new to you, I'm
(05:31):
going to briefly explain it.
Our executive function is like,the air traffic control system
in our brain.
So in our life, there are manycognitive skills that we use to
be able to make decisions, toproblem solve, control our
emotions and our impulses, tothink critically, to be
organized, to prioritize.
(05:54):
And the three main categories ofexecutive function skills are
working memory, mentalflexibility and self control or
self-regulation.
And so under those threecategories come all these other
cognitive skills.
So for children, the only waythey can develop these skills is
(06:14):
through their experiences andinteractions with others and
play is exactly how they getthese experiences.
So let's talk about some otherfeatures of play and how it
supports learning anddevelopment.
So firstly, unstructured play isparticularly valuable for
developing executive function inkids.
(06:36):
It gives children a chance tomake their own decisions as they
go along, try new things, learnhow things work through trial,
and error and practice newskills.
Another feature of play is theability to stimulate creativity
and imagination.
So a child who enjoys playingalone, for example, is using
their imagination and maybethey're creating worlds, or
(06:59):
personalities or roles for theirtoys even.
And in that time they might beexploring social scenarios and
trying out responses anddialogue in a very low risk
environment.
i.e.
not with other kids.
Playing alone is also givingthem some time to process their
thoughts and feelings of theday, and it might be relaxing
(07:20):
and restoring for them.
Some children might also useplay as a way of acting out
something from their ownexperiences.
I remember when my daughter wasa toddler and at the time I was
working full time so she went todaycare and when she was
somewhere between 18 months andtwo years, she was quite verbal
at the time, I remember we wouldput her in the crib after going
(07:43):
through the evening routineevery night, and one night, I
remember we could hear her fromthe top of the stairs.
She was rearranging her Teddy'sin the crib and she was actually
playing daycares with them.
So she was telling them a storyand she was pretending to get
them ready for a nap.
And I don't remember the exactwords that she used, but I do
remember the kind of tone ofvoice she was using.
It was encouraging, but it wasalso authoritative at the same
(08:05):
time.
You know, as a therapist, it waslovely to hear her processing
her experiences this way.
And I just knew it was a reallyrich brain building experience
for her.
Imaginative play can also help achild process difficult
difficult emotions such as fearor loss.
Children who have mental healthconcerns or who have experienced
(08:29):
trauma may benefit from playtherapy, which is a specific
form of psychotherapy.
It helps children explore andexpress their feelings, and
helps them work through thosefeelings and teach coping
strategies.
Here are a few key thoughts thatI have about how you can support
your child's development andmental wellbeing.
(08:50):
Being through play.
So firstly, maximizeopportunities for unstructured
or self-directed play.
When adults let children takethe lead with their play,
children have a chance to maketheir own decisions.
They can experiment; they cantry new things; problem solve,
make their own plans of what todo next.
(09:11):
These vital cognitive skills areused constantly in our daily
life.
Importantly, it's good forchildren to experience being
bored and the reason for this isthat in experiencing boredom,
children have to tolerate andmove past this initial
uncomfortable feeling, figuringout what to do.
(09:35):
And they're developing theseexecutive function skills that I
already mentioned.
Now some children might strugglewith this more than others, and
that can look like maybecomplaining, acting out,
constantly looking to the adultfor direction.
Maybe wanting snacks a lot as adefault course of action.
Remember, one of the areas ofexecutive function is this
(09:57):
self-regulation and a huge partof that is managing frustration.
I will do a whole episode onboredom at some point to discuss
it in more detail because it isa really important topic.
Secondly, give your child spaceto engage in imaginative play
And this is for children of allages.
For some children having spaceto play imaginatively can be a
(10:20):
great way to reset after a busyday at school or at the weekend,
if there have been a lot ofstructured activitites.
Speaking of structuredactivities, over scheduling our
kids can come at the expense ofunstructured and imaginative
play.
So I hope you can see why it'sso valuable to protect this time
for children to be able to playfreely.
(10:43):
Also when you pair imaginative,play with interaction with
others, you can also help todevelop collaboration and
cooperation skills and encouragelanguage development too.
Thirdly, combining movement withplay is so valuable.
Again, this goes for all ages,zero to 99, and don't be afraid
(11:03):
of rough and tumble play.
It can really be beneficial forkids.
And it supports the developmentof so many executive function
skills (11:11):
self control, figuring our their own personal
boundaries, understanding cuesfrom other people just to name a
few.
And it provides some sensorystimulation which can help with
overall nervous systemregulation.
More to come on that too in inanother episode, So that's a
little bit about children andplay.
(11:33):
Now, what about us grownups?
Are we too old to play do youthink?
Well, of course not.
As adults it's easy to getcaught up in the routine of work
or family life.
Can you even remember last timeyou played?
We already know that movementand exercise exercise is good
for us, and we know it impactsour physical and mental health
(11:56):
in a positive way.
Now there is more need forspecific research about the
value and benefits of play foradults.
In the literature there isn't asingle agreed upon definition of
play or playfulness in adults.
But the one I like is, and I'mgoing to quote it.
"Play is an activity that iscarried out for the purpose of
(12:18):
amusement and fun, that isapproached with an enthusiastic
and in the moment attitude andthat is highly interactive".
the end of the quote.
And it was by Van Fleet andFeeney psychology professors at
Carnegie Mellon University whowrote that.
Just a quick note about that,where it mentions about play
(12:39):
being highly interactive theauthors suggested that it
doesn't actually mean highlyinteractive with other people
necessarily.
It can just mean highlyinteractive with the activity
itself.
So becoming really absorbed inthe activity that you're doing.
From a mental wellbeing point ofview, play impacts our hormones
(13:00):
positively in a number of ways.
So physical play releases,endorphins.
Which gives us that feel goodsensation afterwards, similar to
the idea of exercising making usfeel good.
Maybe that runner's high, thatsome people have, or if we're
dancing to a song that we love.
Play also helps lower cortisollevels, which in turn reduces
(13:22):
stress and anxiety.
It can also support ouremotional regulation, which is
the ability to manage the rangeof emotions that we experience.
So if we are less stressed andmore regulated, we can also
think more clearly, and morecreatively.
Social play can stimulate therelease of oxytocin, helping us
(13:45):
to feel emotionally connected tothe people that we're with.
So when we're engaging insomething playful, and in the
moment with a friend or apartner, that feeling of
connection is actuallyheightened.
Also serotonin, which is aneurotransmitter, plays a role
in mood regulation.
So play is about trying andenjoying something without
(14:09):
worrying about the outcome.
The end product or result is notimportant at all.
So you don't have to win oractually be good at something to
enjoy it.
If you are somebody who lovescompetitive sports, then that's
brilliant.
Keep doing that because thatobviously has health benefits
(14:29):
too.
And also consider includingother things in your life that
don't rely on your performanceas such.
And this is what true play isall about.
So let me ask you this, are youthinking:"well I wish I had time
to play" I totally understandthat.
And I also myself feel thepressure of modern life, having
(14:52):
a family and other obligations.
And I also think that there'ssome deep rooted thoughts around
just doing something purely forourselves for fun without it
being productive or helpful toanyone around us.
Well, actually knowing that playhas these benefits for adults as
well as kids tells me that it'ssomething we should give
(15:13):
ourselves permission to maketime for.
If you feel like you don't knowwhere to start with that, there
are some good resources onlineDoctor Stuart Brown who founded
the National Institute for Playdescribes eight different play
personalities, and you can takea quiz online to find out yours,
if you're interested inexploring that.
(15:35):
I'll include the link in theshow notes.
Some really quick examples of inthe moment, activities for fun
could be (15:42):
an impromptu game of keepy-uppy with the balloon,
that's a family favorite in ourhouse.
A waterfight, taking a danceclass.
Dancing around your living room,maybe doing martial arts,
climbing a tree instead of justwatching your kids climb.
Going for a walk in the park.
Doing karaoke.
(16:04):
Taking up a brand new sport, ormaybe revisiting something that
you used to do as a child.
It could be learning to playchess.
Yeah, or just playing chess,flower arranging, taking apart
an old typewriter and trying toput it back together.
Looking at your stampcollection, rearranging your
toolkit or your cupboards.
(16:24):
Playing an instrument.
I mean, the list is endless.
What I'm getting at here is thatwhen we become absorbed with
something that we choose to dofor the sake of it, we're
playing.
Okay.
So in this episode, it's beeninteresting to apply the concept
of.
Neuro-plasticity and play bothto children and adults.
(16:46):
And I hope it's helped you torecognize the value of play, not
just for kids, but but also theneed to make time for play in
your own life.
So, if you want to optimize yourability to learn new things, to
reduce your stress levels andpositively impact your overall
health.
Make time every week to play.
(17:07):
Thanks so much for listeningtoday.
If you want to get in touch, youcan find me@globallythriving.com
or on Instagram.
You can find me at globallyunderscore thriving.
I'd love to hear from you.
See you next time.
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