As a 35 year old going through a major life transition, a few themes have come up again and again that all point to something I lost that I never knew I had until it was gone and I needed it...childlike wonder, creativity, imagination and play.
As I entered this phase in my life where I wanted to make a life change and pursue meaningful work, purpose and passion, again and again I encountered advice to look at what I liked to do as a kid. I encountered advice to make things, create things, visualize without any filter what my purpose might look like and other such activities meant to free myself from the beliefs, rules, shoulds and should nots that we accumulate from our society and our culture over time.
Why would this advice keep coming up from all sorts of sources? Because play is the birthplace of innovation. Because creativity begets creativity. Because as kids, when we are left to our imaginations, we create entire worlds where anything is possible and we explore them with curiosity and wonder. This isn't just fun, it has a function and we are born to do this.
This has been priceless advice and has helped me believe and pursue new things that I never would have dreamed of had I carried on the same path. This has allowed me to dream bigger and experience what it is like to live these dreams because I have the creative capacity to make them happen, sometimes in unconventional ways.
This has had me thinking about the value of creative practices and play...how they impact us, empower us, why we stop doing them and why we should remedy that, both within ourselves and with our kiddos. Science has shown for years that kids learn through play. Why would that be?
Play is based on curiosity. It is expansive instead of limiting. It invites kids and adults alike to consider all possibilities and to create the world they want to be in. It incorporates visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning all together, helping kids make connections, grow their cognitive abilities, navigate social dynamics and understand emotions at an embodied level in a way that is not possible by completing a worksheet or listening to a lecture.
As for any of us adults, kids learn when they care about what is being taught, when they have a relationship to it, when it is meaningful for them. In many years of a career facilitating change, we always started with the cornerstones of a vision and the "what's in it for me" for anyone impacted. That's because when humans care about what they are faced with and they have been taught to value play and the freedom of creativity, they will get engaged and figure out a solution themselves.
As part of my life transition, I was learning to play again and it has had the most profound impact. I was trying new things to break out of my comfort zone and bring my creative self back to life. One thing I did was to go to an improv workshop. All was going ok until we upped the ante and we had to start moving our bodies and incorporating a kinesthetic component into the activities. I froze and felt my face get hot, while tears crept up behind my eyes. I couldn't do it.
I spoke with one of the instructors who asked what I do for a living. I told her I was a consultant and spent a lot of time behind a computer. Her eyes lit up in an aha moment as she said, "You forgot how to play. You forgot what it feels like to be in your body and to use it." It makes me wonder what else I had lost as a result of this block I experienced.
The good news is that it can be found again AND we can do our part to make sure our kids don't lose the innocence and wisdom of play in the first place. There is a reason Sir Ken Robinson's TED Talk is the most watched; we have an innate human desire to express ourselves through creativity and play. We want to hear what he has to say and believe it.
This is your invitation to do just that and you can get started today.
Get outside and play.
Create something, make something.
Spend time playing with kiddos. (my nephews have become some of my greatest teachers!)
Seek out games that encourage imagination, movement and creativity.
Do something new, go somewhere new.
Move your body, dance.
Take a component of a routine and replace it with a new approach.
Know the research and see for yourself! You now have permission to play.
Play isn't just fun, it is necessary and there are visionaries who are helping the rest of us understand this and giving us ways to get there. A great way to take action is to support mission-based companies who are tackling topics like these that are essential to our innovation, learning and relationships.
Check out Silly Street, a family game that invites you to play on purpose...because after all, play has purpose. This game is designed to get kids and adults moving and using their silly imaginations as they play their way to confidence, empathy, cognitive strength, self-confidence and creativity.
Let's play!