Introduction
Zoing!! Know that feeling when you get a stroke of creative genius? Electrifying! As humans we have the extraordinary ability to imagine things into existence – be it an idea, artistic expression, gizmo or gadget. What once wasn’t, now is because we made it up!
Our creativity allows us to see the world as a great collection of building blocks just waiting to be rearranged anew. In the October issue of the Play Times, we dig into creativity and explore how it is inextricably linked to play and playfulness. In play we turbocharge our creative ability – imagine a pogostick on a trampoline!
Children explode with infinite possibility, but creativity does not have to disappear as you grow into adulthood. In this Play Note we look to Picasso, Einstein, the Harvard Business Review, Disney’s former head of Creativity and Innovation as well as the studies and theories of play scientists and researchers to illustrate that:
- Play is how you stay creative through and beyond childhood
- Play is how you can regain your creativity after you “grew out of it”
We also profile the National Institute for Play’s board member, Brendan Boyle, whose childlike (not childish!) playfulness and curiosity has translated into a decades-long career across a host of creative endeavors. May you feel the urge to play and enjoy the bursts of creativity!
Play Note: Play Catalyzes Human Creativity
Through imagination and play, children envision magical worlds and build impregnable forts. Superheroes save the day and fairies dance. It is intuitive to us that for children, play and creativity are inextricably linked.
In this Play Note we quote Picasso and Einstein in their recognition of how playfulness contributed to their creative accomplishments in art and science. But we also cite studies showing that creativity drops precipitously as we grow older.
Play allows you to stay creative throughout childhood and our adult years. This Play Note references research demonstrating that “mood” (or as Dr. Brown says, being in a “State of Play”) enables your natural creativity. On the other hand, when you perceive you are being judged, creativity is squelched.
Finally, the Play Note cites the Harvard Business Review and the former head of Creativity and Innovation at Disney to demonstrate how play and playfulness can be incorporated into the workplace to increase creativity, resulting in increased productivity and happier employees.
Brendan Boyle: Embrace Fun
This month, National Institute for Play Board Member, Brendan Boyle, wrote his own profile. He is a toy inventor, adjunct professor at Stanford University’s Design School, and a founder of the IDEO Play Lab.
Boyle describes the process of writing his award-winning book, The Klutz Book of Inventions, and how embracing play made the book writing more enjoyable and fun, reinforcing the thesis of this month’s Play Note. The book provides a catalog of 164 never-before-seen contraptions that are equal parts brilliant, useful and ridiculous.
Play News & Updates
Save the Date!
Virtual Office Hours, a webinar with Stanford Adjunct Professors Stuart Brown and Brendan Boyle. They’ll be talking about play and creativity and answering your questions. Registration details will be emailed to readers soon.
Tuesday, 12/3/24 – Two sessions: 2pm PT and 5pm PT
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50+ Essays on Play Free from IPA
The International Play Association, IPA USA, has published a phenomenal volume, The 50th Anniversary White Paper. We think it is a robust anthology of play with over 50 essays each with its own bibliography.
IPA leadership invested in producing this opus to support a recovery for children’s play. They write in the introduction,
Over the last 40 years, children’s play in neighborhoods and preschool, public, and private school settings has become increasingly limited and replaced with ancillary sports, dance, gymnastics, after-school tutoring, and many other adult-led activities. …. Childhood is no longer the sanctuary it once was, and child-led play is no longer recognized as the cornerstone of healthy growth.
The major categories (# of essays) are listed below. The Table of Contents conveniently hyperlinks to the essays in each category. NIFPlay’s Lauren Sundstrom authored the essay, “Decoding the Collegiate Mental Health Crisis: Embracing Playful Pedagogy and Valuing Playful Campuses” on page 469.
- Readiness Is Not What You Think (8)
- How Parents Can Support The Child’s Right To Play (2)
- The Healing Power Of Play (4)
- Nature Is Essential (7)
- Every Child Deserves A Break (3)
- Play As A Biological Necessity (6)
- Play Across The Lifespan (14)
- It’s A Child’s Right (6)
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Doctor of Play Award
Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play (NIFPlay) received The IPA USA Doctor of Play Award in September. The award is a prestigious recognition bestowed upon individuals who have dedicated their lives to advocating for play and demonstrated lifelong passion, service, and commitment to advancing play in children’s lives.
In granting the award, the IPA Selection Committee noted that Dr. Brown dedicated his life to advocating for human play through his nonprofit, NIFPlay, and his book, speeches, videos, and articles. He is particularly noted for identifying the devastating consequences on lives deprived of play.
The IPA Selection Committee awarded the Dr. of Play Award to six other lifelong play advocates: Ladonna Atkins, Walter Drew, Peter Gray, Myae Han, Edgar Klugman, and Belma Tuğrul.
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Current issues of play journals:
- International Journal of Play Therapy – 2024 Issue 3
- American Journal of Play – 2024 Issue 1
- International Journal of Play – 2024 Issue 2
- Journal of Play in Adulthood – 2024 Issue 1
