Why Grown-Ups and Kids Need More Play in Their Lives.

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

Transcript

0:04

Are you a parent or caregiver raising your child internationally? Are you curious about how to nurture your child's development? But find all the parenting information out there confusing? If so, you are in the right place. Welcome to the Globally Thriving Families Podcast. I'm your host, Clare O'Byrne, a parent coach and occupational therapist with a passion for supporting children and their families for more than 25 years. Whether it's understanding how to build resilience to practical tips for language development, screen time challenges, and staying calm amongst the chaos, Globally Thriving Families is here to help. Join me as we explore the topics that give you the insights and guidance you need to support your children to thrive. No matter where your family's adventures take you. Hi there. Today's topic is all about play. Now I could talk about this topic all day, but since we don't have all day over the next few minutes, we'll cover why play is essential for children, what's the science behind it and why it's definitely not just for kids. So play is everything really it's so powerful. Through play children are literally building pathways in their brain, which will shape their future learning and overall functioning into adult hood. In a nutshell there is so much rich learning that comes from play and playful interactions from day one of life. Play is the way our children develop their language, their physical skills, their cognitive skills and their social skills. Play supports the development of nurturing relationships with family and caregivers, which is vital for children to be able to thrive. Between zero to three years, a child's brain is developing faster than at any other time in their life. Babies are born with about a hundred billion cells called neurons, which form connections with other neurons. The interactions and experiences babies have directly affect those connections. Now you've heard the concept of use it or lose it right? Well, this applies to our neurons as well. As a child matures the connections between the neurons start to decrease. It's a process called pruning, which is just like the gardening term. So the connections that get used a lot become stronger. And the ones that don't get used a lot, start to disappear. So thinking of an example of this could be when somebody's learning a musical instrument, let's say it's the violin. So at first everything might feel very awkward and tricky when you first start playing You have to get used to holding the violin correctly with one hand, holding the bow with the other hand, and then coordinating the fingers to make the notes while the other hand is moving the bow to create the sounds. There's quite a lot happening all at the same time. And no wonder at first it wouldn't really sound that good. But the more consistent experience you have with it, the more your body remembers the postures that you needed to be in and the movements and the other dynamics and details of playing. And then actually the better it starts to sound. So, this is because the neural pathways have become stronger. The consistent practice has strengthened the connections between the neurons. And these neural connections that are being strengthened through our experiences and interactions lay the foundation for future learning and development through childhood and beyond. The process is called neuro-plasticity. So. That's the brain's ability to adapt as a result of our experiences and our environment. It's actually wonderful as it helps us learn new things and also regain or refresh old skills. So going back to the violin example. Well, if you were someone who learned the violin as a child, and those neural connections strengthened, the more you played and maybe you got quite good at it. But then you stopped doing it for 20 years and took it up again, you will have lost some of those connections. But it doesn't mean that you can't regain some of those old skills back by taking it up again. It's just, you'll be out of practice and it will take a little time to get there. Play gives babies and children a chance to learn how to engage with the world around them. A baby's first experience of play comes in the form of interactions with caregivers and siblings known as serve and return interactions. So these are exchanges that go back and forth between the baby and the caregiver such as smiles and songs and facial expressions. And so that's a baby's first experience of play. As a baby develops, their ability to move around, interact with objects and experiment with movement and using their other senses continues to build and strengthen connections in the brain. So play is really the means by which children are developing their executive functioning skills. And if this term executive function is new to you, I'm going to briefly explain it. Our executive function is like, the air traffic control system in our brain. So in our life, there are many cognitive skills that we use to be able to make decisions, to problem solve, control our emotions and our impulses, to think critically, to be organized, to prioritize. And the three main categories of executive function skills are working memory, mental flexibility and self control or self-regulation. And so under those three categories come all these other cognitive skills. So for children, the only way they can develop these skills is through their experiences and interactions with others and play is exactly how they get these experiences. So let's talk about some other features of play and how it supports learning and development. So firstly, unstructured play is particularly valuable for developing executive function in kids. It gives children a chance to make their own decisions as they go along, try new things, learn how things work through trial, and error and practice new skills. Another feature of play is the ability to stimulate creativity and imagination. So a child who enjoys playing alone, for example, is using their imagination and maybe they're creating worlds, or personalities or roles for their toys even. And in that time they might be exploring social scenarios and trying out responses and dialogue in a very low risk environment. i.e. not with other kids. Playing alone is also giving them some time to process their thoughts and feelings of the day, and it might be relaxing and restoring for them. Some children might also use play as a way of acting out something from their own experiences. I remember when my daughter was a toddler and at the time I was working full time so she went to daycare and when she was somewhere between 18 months and two years, she was quite verbal at the time, I remember we would put her in the crib after going through the evening routine every night, and one night, I remember we could hear her from the top of the stairs. She was rearranging her Teddy's in the crib and she was actually playing daycares with them. So she was telling them a story and she was pretending to get them ready for a nap. And I don't remember the exact words that she used, but I do remember the kind of tone of voice she was using. It was encouraging, but it was also authoritative at the same time. You know, as a therapist, it was lovely to hear her processing her experiences this way. And I just knew it was a really rich brain building experience for her. Imaginative play can also help a child process difficult difficult emotions such as fear or loss. Children who have mental health concerns or who have experienced trauma may benefit from play therapy, which is a specific form of psychotherapy. It helps children explore and express their feelings, and helps them work through those feelings and teach coping strategies. Here are a few key thoughts that I have about how you can support your child's development and mental wellbeing. Being through play. So firstly, maximize opportunities for unstructured or self-directed play. When adults let children take the lead with their play, children have a chance to make their own decisions. They can experiment; they can try new things; problem solve, make their own plans of what to do next. These vital cognitive skills are used constantly in our daily life. Importantly, it's good for children to experience being bored and the reason for this is that in experiencing boredom, children have to tolerate and move past this initial uncomfortable feeling, figuring out what to do. And they're developing these executive function skills that I already mentioned. Now some children might struggle with this more than others, and that can look like maybe complaining, acting out, constantly looking to the adult for direction. Maybe wanting snacks a lot as a default course of action. Remember, one of the areas of executive function is this self-regulation and a huge part of that is managing frustration. I will do a whole episode on boredom at some point to discuss it in more detail because it is a really important topic. Secondly, give your child space to engage in imaginative play And this is for children of all ages. For some children having space to play imaginatively can be a great way to reset after a busy day at school or at the weekend, if there have been a lot of structured activitites. Speaking of structured activities, over scheduling our kids can come at the expense of unstructured and imaginative play. So I hope you can see why it's so valuable to protect this time for children to be able to play freely. Also when you pair imaginative, play with interaction with others, you can also help to develop collaboration and cooperation skills and encourage language development too. Thirdly, combining movement with play is so valuable. Again, this goes for all ages, zero to 99, and don't be afraid of rough and tumble play. It can really be beneficial for kids. And it supports the development of so many executive function skills: self control, figuring our their own personal boundaries, understanding cues from other people just to name a few. And it provides some sensory stimulation which can help with overall nervous system regulation. More to come on that too in in another episode, So that's a little bit about children and play. Now, what about us grownups? Are we too old to play do you think? Well, of course not. As adults it's easy to get caught up in the routine of work or family life. Can you even remember last time you played? We already know that movement and exercise exercise is good for us, and we know it impacts our physical and mental health in a positive way. Now there is more need for specific research about the value and benefits of play for adults. In the literature there isn't a single agreed upon definition of play or playfulness in adults. But the one I like is, and I'm going to quote it."Play is an activity that is carried out for the purpose of amusement and fun, that is approached with an enthusiastic and in the moment attitude and that is highly interactive". the end of the quote. And it was by Van Fleet and Feeney psychology professors at Carnegie Mellon University who wrote that. Just a quick note about that, where it mentions about play being highly interactive the authors suggested that it doesn't actually mean highly interactive with other people necessarily. It can just mean highly interactive with the activity itself. So becoming really absorbed in the activity that you're doing. From a mental wellbeing point of view, play impacts our hormones positively in a number of ways. So physical play releases, endorphins. Which gives us that feel good sensation afterwards, similar to the idea of exercising making us feel good. Maybe that runner's high, that some people have, or if we're dancing to a song that we love. Play also helps lower cortisol levels, which in turn reduces stress and anxiety. It can also support our emotional regulation, which is the ability to manage the range of emotions that we experience. So if we are less stressed and more regulated, we can also think more clearly, and more creatively. Social play can stimulate the release of oxytocin, helping us to feel emotionally connected to the people that we're with. So when we're engaging in something playful, and in the moment with a friend or a partner, that feeling of connection is actually heightened. Also serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter, plays a role in mood regulation. So play is about trying and enjoying something without worrying about the outcome. The end product or result is not important at all. So you don't have to win or actually be good at something to enjoy it. If you are somebody who loves competitive sports, then that's brilliant. Keep doing that because that obviously has health benefits too. And also consider including other things in your life that don't rely on your performance as such. And this is what true play is all about. So let me ask you this, are you thinking:"well I wish I had time to play" I totally understand that. And I also myself feel the pressure of modern life, having a family and other obligations. And I also think that there's some deep rooted thoughts around just doing something purely for ourselves for fun without it being productive or helpful to anyone around us. Well, actually knowing that play has these benefits for adults as well as kids tells me that it's something we should give ourselves permission to make time for. If you feel like you don't know where to start with that, there are some good resources online Doctor Stuart Brown who founded the National Institute for Play describes eight different play personalities, and you can take a quiz online to find out yours, if you're interested in exploring that. I'll include the link in the show notes. Some really quick examples of in the moment, activities for fun could be: an impromptu game of keepy-uppy with the balloon, that's a family favorite in our house. A waterfight, taking a dance class. Dancing around your living room, maybe doing martial arts, climbing a tree instead of just watching your kids climb. Going for a walk in the park. Doing karaoke. Taking up a brand new sport, or maybe revisiting something that you used to do as a child. It could be learning to play chess. Yeah, or just playing chess, flower arranging, taking apart an old typewriter and trying to put it back together. Looking at your stamp collection, rearranging your toolkit or your cupboards. Playing an instrument. I mean, the list is endless. What I'm getting at here is that when we become absorbed with something that we choose to do for the sake of it, we're playing. Okay. So in this episode, it's been interesting to apply the concept of. Neuro-plasticity and play both to children and adults. And I hope it's helped you to recognize the value of play, not just for kids, but but also the need to make time for play in your own life. So, if you want to optimize your ability to learn new things, to reduce your stress levels and positively impact your overall health. Make time every week to play. Thanks so much for listening today. If you want to get in touch, you can find me@globallythriving.com or on Instagram. You can find me at globally underscore thriving. I'd love to hear from you. See you next time.