#PlayConnects - Making Connections Through Play

The conversation around play so often focuses on youth, and rightfully so. Play influences the brain in a major way through development. There is so much to be said, learned, and implemented when it comes to thinking about the importance and benefits of play in the context of each cycle of human life. When we play as adults, we reduce stress, build connections, and practice cognitive flexibility.

Play connects us. Play transforms relationships and ecosystems, both social and environmental. We can learn from play practices and theories to build a kinder, braver, more intentionally connected world. Play connects caregivers to children, and harnessing the power of play in our adult sphere has never been more crucial. Play builds us up when we’re young, and it heals us as we grow. 

Here are some resources about making connections through play:

• WEBINAR: 5 Strategies for Building Stronger Connections with Children (HiMama)

• Play: The Experience of the Unscripted Moment (Psychology Today)

• Special Playtime (CDC)

• 5 group games from memory lane to pass on to your kids (Active For Life)

• How Bluey Became the Best Kids’ Show of Our Time No other series gets the strange, hilarious magic of play (Vulture)

• Connect, Regulate, and Teach Through Play (Generation Mindful)

• Connecting to your Children Through Play (Child Guidance Resource Centers Blog)

• In Elementary Classrooms, Demand Grows for Play-Based Learning (The Hechinger Report)

• Non-Gendered Play in Early Childhood (Trying Together)

• “Play is Learning” Interview (Trying Together)