The Power of Playtime: How Important is Play?

Why should we play? What are the benefits of playing and when are we too old to play?

The truth is simple. Playing is healthy in childhood as much as adulthood. The health benefits of playing are tremendous, and we are NEVER too old to play. Here are a few real-life examples of just that.

Here is a cool site I found. Click on the picture to check out those 20 fun ways to play with sticks.

😀😀Fun fact in case you don't go to the site: The site mentions that in 2008 the stick was placed in the Hall of Fame as one of the best toys.

Example 1: Personally unknown to myself. I recently watched a documentary about a man that had set up several trampolines in the ground and conducted business on the trampolines. It shows him in an interview with one of the heads of this big corporation. The man shows up to “talk business”, and the other man explains to him that he will speak to him on the trampolines and that the man needs to take off his shoes, set down the briefcase, and get on the trampoline with him for a few minutes before he’ll even here the proposal. Confused, frustrated, and obviously irritated by this request, the man reluctantly takes off his shoes and gets onto the trampoline. Within a few minutes, he is smiling, laughing, and having fun, feeling like a kid and feeling free again. The man he has come to speak with says, ok, now I’ll talk business with you. As they continue to jump on the trampolines, the men begin to discuss the business at hand; the other man is able to present his proposal, and a deal is made.

In the documentary, there were several other scenarios of men and women alike playing and discussing how free they felt and how much younger, stronger, and healthier they had become as a result of it.

When we are children and we play, we use our imagination. For example, playing with sticks can become anything you want them to be. Objects seen around the home or playground become a new world. Using our imagination helps improve brain functions. It not only releases our “feel good” chemicals in the body, but it also improves memory, focus, and attention spans. Not to mention that research conducted shows that continued play over the course of our lives has been shown to reduce the potential for developing diseases later in life, including dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases.

Much research has been conducted showing that children that use their imagination to play for a few minutes, such as 30 minutes in the morning, prior to school actually do better in school. It’s even better for them to play outside for 30 minutes prior to class; thus, allowing them to ground with the natural forces of the earth, use their imagination, and, as I like to call it, “Get their brain juices flowing.” They show more focus on coursework, are settled more, and are more involved in their classes. They are less likely to fall asleep during class, doodle, etc. and as a result, they make better grades.

But just better grades in school are only a small portion of the benefits of playtime. Yes, good grades in school are very important; however, there are so many other benefits. Simply using the imagination alone has so many benefits.

When children learn to use their imagination, they are more likely to be more creative in adulthood. This leads to having a better ability to brainstorm ideas, work as a team player, a leader, etc. All these things are very important in adulthood, in the working environment, in relationships with others, etc. It helps them discover their own personal skills and weaknesses. Yes, we all are skilled in some areas and less skilled in others. Not to mention that some of us may be skilled in an area but are not happy using that skill, while others may also be very skilled in that area and enjoy using that skill set. It's part of leadership development and team-building, but that can all wait for another, deeper discussion down the road. Anyway, children do learn to utilize their skill sets during the act of play and learn how to allow others with other skills to utilize theirs without judgment or discernment.

There are so many benefits of playtime, the list seems to go on and on. Playtime builds and improves skills they will use for a lifetime in their personal lives as well as in the workplace. Play builds self-esteem, confidence, teamwork, leadership abilities, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, trial and error, creativity, etc. Now, we have all these skill sets just from playing, not to mention the health benefits as well. Outdoor playtime with objects found on the ground provides an important factor in building hand-eye coordination, and balance, strengthening muscle and bone, improving blood circulation, and improving the immune system. The best thing is, these are just some of the benefits of playing.

So, why do people tell their children they are too old to play? Why did the adult stop playing? Many adults that have not stopped playtime, enjoy dressing up and laughing and feeling free; in fact, they live a happier healthier life than those that have “pushed” playtime away, as if it were a bad thing.

Example 2: Personally known: I have this crazy friend that enjoys life to the fullest. He has, at times, dressed up as a Gumby to go conduct a business deal. Many would scoff at his actions and say he needs to grow up and start acting his age. Well, guess what, he is acting his age. The fact that he loves life and enjoys laughing and making others laugh has nothing to do with his age. I bet you all think he is a clown or works for children in some way. Well, guess what, he now owns his own business as a realtor and sells multi-million-dollar houses. He is very good at his job, very confident in himself, and obviously sells many homes to many very wealthy people. He did not get where he is today by “acting his age”, or by being the stuffed-in-a-suit salesman. Now, he does not dress up all the time, he does wear a suit and tie too. He is very disciplined, was in the Army for many years in a special operations unit, fought in a war, and still understands the importance of playtime. The point here is that he is simply himself and has incorporated “playtime” into his business sales. He makes people feel comfortable, laugh, and even at times, like a kid again.

Example 3: Personally known: Another man I know loves to build and play with model airplanes. He enjoys dressing up and pretending still to this day. He loves life, playing with the children and just being himself. Is he a no-good unsuccessful man? Far from it, he is a multi-millionaire. He worked his way through college and worked at a very prestigious company (the name of the company is omitted for privacy purposes) from a very young age until retirement, he retired in his 70s. In fact, he actually worked in one of the most top-secret areas of the company. His job required a lot of skill, team building, leadership skills, lots of creativity, and a ton of focus. All he ever would say about his job is that he was the lead on many known and many top-secret projects designing aircraft for the military. The point here again, he never lost his ability to pretend, to play, to enjoy life itself. He spoke often of his childhood, how they played with sticks and created “new worlds” out of everyday objects. He loved playing like he was a pirate, sticks became swords, boards became planks, dogs were sharks, etc. and this was just one of many games he played as a child growing up. The thing is, he never really stopped either. It was reported that there were many times at work that he and some of his co-workers would take time out of their top-secret work to spend some time “playing”. They would take a brain break from brainstorming. The coolest thing, they even had days where they played dress-up. Yes, at a top-secret level, these men and women, would take time out to play for a few minutes to clear their heads and relax. Then back to brainstorming on the boards again.

There is an obvious correlation between playing and pretending as a child with successful adults. These are just 2 personal examples of this. I have several more personal examples as well as tons of scientific research data to also back this up. In fact, many major corporations understand the importance of play and have not only allowed playtime but encouraged it.

Google, Amazon, Apple, and many other large companies have designed designated areas to encourage playtime, naptimes, etc. to improve overall work as well as a relaxed atmosphere to work in to improve creativity, focus, teamwork, etc.

Now, of course, I am not saying that every single child out there that plays and pretends will become a multi-millionaire or go work for a major corporation and/or be very successful in business for that matter. However, I believe they will be more successful as adults in whatever job they assume and in their personal relationships.

So, when my daughter of 12 wants to dress like a bunny, wear bunny ears and a tail, and paint her nose, I let her. If my son wants to dress like a robot and pretend to be this or that, I let him. If they stop doing this at some time in the future, fine, it’s their decision. If they want to pick up sticks and use their imaginations, I am proud of them and encourage them to do so. I want them to build all of these skill sets to improve their lives as adults and have fun with life now and in the future. If they continue to do this through adulthood, cool, more power to them. I hope they never stop being themselves and continue to feel strong, independent, and creative, with healthy self-esteem and self-love, living a life full of happiness and playfulness.

My husband and I both love to dress up for Halloween, Renaissance festivals, etc. It’s fun, it’s harmless, and it makes us happy. And ya know what? We are not alone in any way, millions across the globe do this in several different ways on several different occasions. Ever seen a Comicon convention, a Star Trek or Star Wars convention? People of all ages, from all walks of life, enjoy going to these each year and dressing up. I have seen people younger than myself, my age, and much older than myself do the same.

So, again I ask, why is it that many people teach their children they are too old to act this way, dress up, pretend, etc.? Why are you taking away their sticks? Why is pretending bad? Why stifle a child’s abilities? Why not let children just be children? Why is it wrong for adults to play too? Major corporations don’t seem to think so. It’s worked quite well for them for many years, or they wouldn’t keep allowing it. When someone comes up with a logical reason and/or has science to back them up for those reasons, I’ll listen. Otherwise, I’m gonna stick with what I have experienced, the research I have read, and the information I have gained over the years. I’m going to keep playing, and encouraging my children to play, for as many years as they want. Hopefully, that will be a lifetime.