Egg-cellent Play!

Play teaches us many things: boundaries, movement, and how to play different roles. In scientific terms, positive play experiences help to build the brain by shaping and strengthening certain pathways (such as remembering the rules) and allowing other pathways to fade away (such as becoming upset at losing).

Play can actually enhance mental wellness by reducing depression and anxiety (Proyer et al., 2021; Van Vleet et al., 2019), it can enhance creativity and “divergent thinking” (Lockwood & O’Connor, 2017, p. 56), and it can help improve overall wellbeing (Lockwood & O’Connor, 2017; Proyer et al., 2021; Van Vleet et al., 2019).

Play looks different to different people. While some types of play may have slightly different benefits than others, the main idea is the same: have fun! Think about the difference between playing a sport with friends with no stakes attached, versus running stairs or drills to improve your sports performance; both have structure of some kind, but the goals are very different. Through Building Brains Together, we advocate and promote “the importance of adult directed play in building developmental learning” for children (Gibb et al., 2021, p. 1).

This spring, if you’re looking at new ways to incorporate some play in your egg hunt check out these ideas!

Sources:

Gibb, R., Coelho, L., Van Rootselaar, N. A., Halliwell, C., MacKinnon, M., Plomp, I., & Gonzalez, C. L. R. (2021). Promoting Executive Function Skills in Preschoolers Using a Play-Based Program. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 720225. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720225

Huberman, A. (2022, February 7). Using Play to Rewire & Improve Your Brain (No. 58) [Audio Podcast]. In Huberman Lab. https://hubermanlab.com/using-play-to-rewire-and-improve-your-brain/

Lockwood, R., & O’Connor, S. (2017). Playfulness in adults: An examination of play and playfulness and their implications for coaching. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 10(1), 54–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2016.1268636

Proyer, R. T., Gander, F., Brauer, K., & Chick, G. (2021). Can Playfulness be Stimulated? A Randomised Placebo‐Controlled Online Playfulness Intervention Study on Effects on Trait Playfulness, Well‐Being, and Depression. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 13(1), 129–151. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12220

Van Vleet, M., Helgeson, V. S., & Berg, C. A. (2019). The importance of having fun: Daily play among adults with type 1 diabetes. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(11–12), 3695–3710. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407519832115