Introduction
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Play Times, the newsletter of the National Institute for Play, where we are dedicated to advancing society’s understanding and application of play.
Each month we will share summaries of research studies or scientific theories (“Play Notes”), interviews with the people of play, and key events and publications to keep you up to date with all things happening in the world of play.
We aim to spark conversation, foster connection, and build community as we more closely explore the powerful, though long-ignored, biological capability that is play! A most exciting development is the UN recognition of June 11 as the International Day of Play. We are thrilled that the message “play leads to healthier, happier lives” is reaching a global audience.
While we wholeheartedly agree with the UN on the importance of play for children, our first issue will focus on adult playfulness and the researchers creating frameworks and scales for measuring this trait. We encourage you to learn more about the various approaches and even assess your own playfulness!
Our next issue will feature a Play Note about how play helps reduce stress. As we grow our community, we welcome your input, reflections, and contributions! If you create content that can enrich any of our Play Notes, let us know about it.
Play Note #1: Adult Playfulness
Playfulness is a personality trait that describes how people make situations interesting, entertaining, stimulating, or fun. Over the past 30 years, a good deal of research has been focused on PLAYFULNESS as a personal characteristic, particularly ADULT playfulness.
- The most prominent and recent work has been done in university laboratories in Germany by René Proyer and by Xiangyou (Sharon) Shen (Penn State and Oregon State).
- Proyer developed a 12-question assessment tool, the OLIW Model which identifies the strength of four characteristics of adult playfulness: “Other Directed”, “Lighthearted”, “Intellectual” and “Whimsical”. Using that model, Proyer’s lab published research papers on how adult playfulness contributes to positive outcomes in the areas of senior well-being, strength of character, human sexuality, and sensation seeking.
- Shen conducted research to develop and validate a 19-question Adult Playfulness Trait Scale (APTS) assessment tool which examines one’s disposition (“drive”) for three playful behaviors: “Spontaneity”, “Uninhibitedness”, and“Fun-Seeking Motivation” (which is further made up of: “Fun Belief”, “Initiative” and “Reactivity”). Shen has published research on how playfulness affects creativity, mental health interventions, and parenting.
Read our complete PLAY NOTE on assessing adult playfulness including instructions for interpreting responses to the OLIW and APTS questionnaire.
Dr. Stuart Brown – Founder of NIFPlay
Dr. Stuart Brown founded the National Institute for Play (NIFPlay) to promote widespread understanding of the importance of play in our lives and the unexpected, serious consequences of neglecting play.
Dr. Brown’s career began at Baylor College of Medicine when he was an assistant professor of psychiatry researching homicidal, violent, and antisocial behaviors. Over his career, he has interviewed thousands of people to capture their play profiles. These profiles demonstrate the active presence of play in the accomplishments of successful individuals, as well as the negative consequences reflected in play-deprived lives.
Play News & Updates
- IPA USA (International Play Association) 2024 Conference in Greenville, SC – September 25-28, 2024 Registration is Open
- IPA USA is seeking nominations (by August 1) for two awards: Doctor of Play and Child’s Right to Play Advocacy.
- International Day of Play – Recognized by the United Nations
Current issues of 4 peer reviewed play journals are linked here along with the abstract of one article from each journal.
- American Journal of Play – 2024 Issue 1 – Published 3 Times per Year
Book Review: Attitudes of Play, Gabor Csepregi, Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022: This book pulls off the rare feat of being an academic work that is both engaging and uplifting. It has two principal goals. The first is to explain “the play attitude” in its various manifestations as something distinct from play itself. The second is to argue that the play attitude is too frequently absent from—and should be encouraged and accepted widely in— our lives outside play. The book treats its subject persuasively with thoughtfulness and erudition—and it is admirably succinct. Reviewed by J. S. Russell, Langara College, Vancouver, BC in Vol. 16, Issue 1 (Jan 2024) - International Journal of Play – Latest articles accepted, not yet published*. Latest quarterly publication: 2023 Issue 4
A Groos case study: future educator? Sierra Galucci: Published online Mar 25, 2024: This essay explores the idea that children play to practice skills they will need later in life, as theorized by Karl Groos. The author shares a childhood memory of finding an easel and deciding to create and then teach a lesson to a group of students. Despite challenges throughout the lesson, the experience suggests that play-based learning can help students discover their passions and develop their resiliency. - Journal of Play in Adulthood – 2024 Issue 1 – Published Multiple Times per Year
Choose Your Own Adventure! An empirical study on gamification of postgraduate learning or research project design, Daisy Abbott, Vol 6, Issue 1 (Jan 2024): It is difficult to teach complex topics such as academic research to student cohorts who are widely heterogeneous in prior knowledge, learning goals, and learning preferences. This study evaluated an exploratory, quest-like approach (Choose Your Own Adventure!) with the goals of increasing engagement, personalization, and autonomy. Results highlight high user attrition, effective personalization of learning, high acceptance of gamification approaches, and much lower interest in some gamification elements. - International Journal of Play Therapy – 2024 Issue 1 – Published Quarterly
Outdoor child-centered play therapy: A pilot study on outcomes. Kimberly L.A. Walker & Dee C. Ray: Vol 33, Issue 1 (Jan 2024): In this study, the researcher sought to investigate the integration of nature with child-centered play therapy (CCPT) by providing CCPT in an outdoor, contained playroom equipped with traditional CCPT toys and additional nature materials. Results of two repeated-measures analysis of variances revealed statistically significant improvement in attention on the Brown Executive Function/Attention Scales and in social–emotional competencies on the Social Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales–Parent.
*Articles are removed from the ‘Latest articles’ list when they are published in a volume/issue.
