Play: The Key to Creativity

It’s time for the final installment of my series on creativity for Willow Creek Pediatrics.  Here’s a little snippet:

It has been said that play is a child’s work.  While play has been around since the dawn of time, the science of play is relatively new.  What some may consider to be only a frivolous pastime for children has, over the last century, been uncovered as a powerful tool for learning, a key to creativity and innovation, and, some would argue, a biological necessity akin to sleep. 

Researchers, like Dr. Stuart Brown of the National Institute for Play, assert that play is more than just good fun, and even more than a way to practice and imitate skills for the future.  Play, they submit, is a necessary component to healthy human development.  It helps build emotional regulation, appropriate risk-taking behaviors, abstract thinking, curiosity, and resiliency.  Incorporating neuroscience, they have found that play “lights up the brain” and builds intelligence in a truly unique way.

And yet, while the science of play is gaining ground, the actual occurrence of play seems to be diminishing in our culture.

As this article in the New York Times  stated, “The average 3 year-old can pick up an iPhone and expertly scroll through the menu of apps, but how many 7 year-olds can organize a kickball game with the neighborhood kids?”

Scoot on over to WCP’s blog to read the rest!  (And don’t miss out on the treat at the end!)

I’ve been really lucky to work with Dr. Jopling and his staff (a special thanks to Mandy), and am really impressed with their interest in promoting wellness for the whole child.  Thank you so much!

 Top photo by D. Sharon Pruitt.