Play is Pivotal in Our Schools and in Development
The first-ever International Day of Play, June 11, 2024, marks a significant milestone in our global efforts to preserve, promote, and prioritise play.
97% of us believe play is important yet one in three of us do not have the time.
This day underscores the vital importance of play for all people, especially children, enabling them to thrive and reach their full potential. Play is a fundamental human right, a universal language through which we learn about relationships, develop social skills, and cultivate our social conscience. It’s time to acknowledge that play is essential, not just for children but for society as a whole.
As a Play Therapist who works with children, parents, and professionals, including teachers, to support child development through play, I fiercely advocate for preserving, promoting, and prioritising play for development and mental health.
My work focuses on helping the most vulnerable children and assisting adults in understanding and engaging in play. By increasing their confidence in providing opportunities for playful relationships, I aim to remind everyone that play is also crucial for adult relationships and overall wellbeing. Play is where hope lives, and time spent playing is a crucial investment in humankind.
Mental Health Issues and Statistics
The need for play is highlighted by alarming statistics. The Australian Child Maltreatment Study reveals that around 60% of Australians experience some form of maltreatment. These experiences often manifest early, with challenges evident by age 24, and can persist throughout life. Australians who experience maltreatment are substantially more likely to have mental health disorders, engage in health risk behaviours, and utilise health services more frequently. Additionally, one in 10 Australian children aged between 4-11 yearshave a mental health diagnosis.
Play is essential to healthy holistic child development - biological, neurological, psychological, and social.
Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp identified seven primary emotion brain circuits: seeking, care, play, lust, fear, sadness, and anger. Research shows that disruptions during the formation of this neural circuitry increase the risk of developing psychiatric disorders.
Dr Stuart Brown, a medical doctor and psychiatrist turned play scholar, highlights the biological nature of play in humans, stating “the drive to play is as fundamental as our drives for food and sleep.”
Play is essentially hardwired into our neurobiology, with play circuits in our brains and a body built for movement.
How Do We Provide Children with More Time to Play - Including in School?
Australian primary and high school students spend significantly more time in the classroom - nearly 74% more than their Finnish counterparts - yet their performance on international tests lags behind that of students in comparable countries. Australian students receive 11,000 hours of instruction throughout their schooling, compared to the OECD average of 7,540 hours, according to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
John Fischetti, Dean of Education at Newcastle University, highlights that other countries incorporate more teacher autonomy into their curricula, transforming schools into "learning centres rather than assessment centres". He points out that countries like Singapore have shifted away from rigid assessment strategies, allowing for more imaginative and creative classroom experiences.
Ensuring enriched play experiences during the non-instruction time spent in school is essential. This includes resourcing both indoor and outdoor options. Incorporating play into formal instruction time is beneficial for children of all ages as an effective engagement and learning resource. When this occurs within a playful teacher-child relationship, positive childhood experiences (PCEs) can counter childhood adversity.
Natalie Scira, a registered play therapist and clinical supervisor with Playroom Therapy confirms, "As a former primary school teacher, the importance of play for learning is well documented and now widely accepted in educational settings. What's exciting to me as a now registered play therapist working with schools, is that the transformative powers of play are also beginning to be recognised as a developmentally appropriate way for children to work through and express emotional challenges."
Tips to Infuse Play into Classrooms and Schools
True play, when children are in a state-of-play, is akin to a flow state. The freedom to play and have choice and agency in play is one of the few places in childhood where children experience a sense of autonomy, essential for developing an internal locus of control.
Despite its many benefits, statistics show that the amount of time children get to play has been declining for decades. Tightly structured family and school schedules, fewer safe places to play, and the rising use of media and screen time are among the reasons for the decline.
Dr Peter Gray, in his 2015 TEDx talk, The Decline of Play, describes the modern day view of childhood as “schoolish” and advocates for more play throughout childhood to positively boost development into adulthood.
The classroom and school environment is the perfect place to inject this important and lacking factor back into the lives of our children.
St James’ Parish School Principal, Garth Kydd agrees. “Play is pivotal in schools as it significantly enhances cognitive and social development. It stimulates curiosity, helping children understand and retain new concepts, while fostering critical thinking and problem-solving. Play also teaches essential social skills such as collaboration, teamwork, sharing, negotiation, and conflict resolution; children learn to express themselves and listen to others, thereby enhancing their communication skills. It also provides a safe space for children to express their emotions, develop self-control, and learn coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and frustration.”
These are some recommendations to infuse play into classrooms and schools:
1 Create Play Zones: Set up specific areas in schools for free play opportunities, both indoors and outdoors.
2 Encourage Playfulness: Guide children towards playful options and foster a playful environment. Being playful as an adult is something we can learn and refine.
3 Understand Play Styles: Adults should be aware of their own childhood play experiences and how they like to play as adults. This informs how comfortable and ready they are to offer playful options to children.
4 Incorporate Different Types of Play: Use a developmental play perspective, including relational play, sensory play, small world play, object substitution play, and imaginary play.
5 Consider Sensory Experiences: Integrate activities that stimulate the eight main senses - sight, taste, touch, hearing, smell, balance, movement, and internal sensations.
6 Schedule Play Breaks: Identify ideal times for play breaks, such as movement breaks, during the school day.
7 Professional Development: Provide teachers with specific knowledge and skills to facilitate play in their teaching. Universal approaches like the Teacher’s Optimal Relationship Approach (TORA) can enhance teacher-child relationships and engagement in learning.
The Benefits of Play for All Ages
Neuroscientists have made significant discoveries about the vital nature of play for humans across the life course.
Dr Stuart Brown notes, “Nothing lights up a child’s brain like play.”
Play is to the mind what oxygen is to the body, according to Dr Daniel Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry.
Play helps children develop their senses, intellect, emotions, and imagination. It allows them to explore, discover, and experiment, giving them a wealth of knowledge about the world and themselves, even without adult direction.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a clinical report in 2018 titled "The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children". The report states, “Play is not frivolous: it enhances brain structure.”
When play and safe, stable, nurturing relationships are missing in a child’s life, toxic stress can disrupt the development of executive function and the learning of prosocial behaviour. In the presence of childhood adversity, play becomes even more important.
I’m a fierce advocate for play as a powerful tool for enhancing learning, promoting mental health, and fostering overall wellbeing.
I like to say, "Let play be the antidote to social disconnection and loneliness." The way we care for children creates the blueprint for their future relationships. It’s time to prioritise play in our schools and communities, making it an integral part of our efforts to nurture healthy, happy, and resilient individuals. Let’s press play on wellbeing and happiness, and ensure that play becomes a central part of our educational systems and daily lives.