“We are meant to play throughout life. Whether it is through physical activity, social interaction, competition, adventure, music or art, our need to play is hard-wired into our brains.”
– Stuart Brown, M.D.
- Childhood play involves all the senses. Simple, unstructured childhood play is the best possible gift that can be given to each and every child. Play maximizes the foundations needed for learning, motor development, cognition, emotional development and social skill, regardless of each individuals neurological wiring, age, developmental level and overall learning profile.
- Pretend play involves thinking abstractly, the key to most of what we do in the world. If we can not think abstractly, we can only react, rather than plan.
- Emotional feelings are expressed through childhood pretend play, all of which need only be acknowledged and listened to, rather than answered, fixed or discussed.
- The most common emotional themes expressed through childhood pretend play include: nurturance and dependency, pleasure and excitement, curiosity, power and assertiveness, anger and aggression, limit-setting and containing feelings, fears and anxieties, love and empathy, and control.
- Play is the most important work that children do.