What is play to you? Is play an important component of learning? Or is play an element of life that represents a break?
During my short visit and learning in Denmark with the Playful Schools Conference, I’ve realized a deeper meaning behind play:
Play is the Foundation of Life.
Our Condition
We have been conditioned through our modern city lives to pursue results like it’s the only benchmark of life. We have been constantly asked to be clear of our objectives as if nothing in the world will shake it. And we are always pressured to create value with everything we do, as if we must train to have the Midas touch.
But even when individuals find success in our world, there is still a sense that it is not enough. We must have a goal every single time, even after we have accomplished all the above diligently.
Our Experience
Unlike our conditionings, our experiences paint a very different picture of our life. It shows up in our memories, very often in moments of deep play and enjoyment. These moments often happen in a time slowing sequence for us. Experiences stick with us no matter how successful we are. They are like a bank of resources, always available to us and awaiting our activation.
Interestingly, experiences of such depth are often enough, as it is at the right moment of our life. We will never feel that the experience was inadequate.
Crucial to these powerful experiences are very often the element of play. Play sits at the core of our human experience. It calls out to us and draws us towards the space of play. Play is so important to give depth to our lives. It is the very thing that keeps our heart beating. Without it, we would stop living….. and just be mindless zombies conforming to the whims and calls of our externalities. Because play always begins at our core.
We are wired to play as human beings to keep us alive.
Defining play as just a channel of learning, greatly diminishes the power of play in our children’s health, growth and survival. For it is only with play that children develop a space to reconcile all the experiences and nuances of life. It is only with play that children discover deep moments that stick with them and enhance their livelihood. It is only with play that children can truly be human.
Play is the foundation of life for children (and all of us). It is not just a tool for learning or to meet our compulsive adult objectives.
We adults also need play because that’s when we can unleash our full potential. It is in play that we find connection with ourselves (because play doesn’t usually involve external influenced objectives). It is activated through the core preference and inclination of an individual. We also connect better and build stronger communities when play is in the essence of our interactions.
In short, Play is Key to Life. Without it we might as well just be another cog in the machine (well, unless we want to be the cog 😆)
Written by: Darren Quek
Editted by: Natasha Saw
Library 