Soulful Sunday 107 – Play

/ January 27, 2019

This episode of Soulful Sunday explores the power of play.

Play is so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by the United Nations as a right of every child. ~ Kenneth Ginsburg

 

play, poetry, silly rhyme

Enjoying some playtime with my nephew Willie.

Children learn (through play) critical life skills for mental, physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and communication development. A growing body of research (and my experience too) shows that play is equally important to adults. Play supports health, stress management, learning, and better relationships. 

We get so caught up in our responsibilities that we forget to play, laugh, and enjoy life regardless of our circumstances. Play is defined as any activity done for pure enjoyment, rather than serious reasons or purpose. The danger in posts like mine is that we will add play to our growing To Do Lists! Then you face the paradox of wanting to play because you know it’s good for you. Or maybe you have enough kid spirit that you play just to play! If you want more reasons to add play to your list, here’s a good article on the 10 benefits of play. I found it very interesting that animals play and the smartest ones play more. Just think of dolphins dancing with waves, surfing, and other fun antics they’re known for. 

In the article, Chris suggests making play a priority, pick activities you loved as a child (and still enjoy), and approach play with beginner’s mind.

According to Dr. Brad, play is good for the body, mind, and soul. When we play, we feel refreshed, restored, and full of life. 

Potent people practice the power of play! 

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53 thoughts on “Soulful Sunday 107 – Play”

  4. I agree Brad, we too often focus on doing something for a reason rather for enjoyment alone. When I paint and draw I try to do it for play rather than thinking each picture has to be perfect – I dreamt about painting last night which suggests to me I need to get painting again!

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  10. Well played, my friend. 🤪 Hehe. I agree. We all need play. I play with my dog and cats, running circles around the house. Hehe. I “playfully torture” my spouse, in that I tickle him while sitting on the couch from time to time. I play games, and I make sure to laugh – at least a little every day. Sososo good for the soul. 🙂
    In any case, I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend. Sending hugs!

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  11. Reblogged this on Tania Marie and commented:
    To celebrate the first blog back from The Writer’s Corner since my time away in Sedona, I’d like Monday’s Musings to kick off with the musings around the theme of “Play” because it truly is the cornerstone to well-being, balance, optimal living, and cultivating more creativity – IMHO. This is a great post by my sweet friend, Brad, that includes a wonderful article for both your inner child and children in your life to understand the importance of play in your and their lives.

    I’ve heard recently from several friends that they struggle with wanting to experience more creativity, have blocks in terms of their writing and other projects, aren’t sure where to start in terms of their ideas and dreams, or feel challenged with experiencing joy and optimism in their lives.

    I truly believe that play is so important to life and if it weren’t for my Peter-Pan syndrome refusing to “grow” up in the way others have accepted this to mean, I likely would feel all the same things too. Yet, I embrace singing, laughing, dancing, make-believing, making up stories, seeing through childlike eyes of wonder, believing in the magickal, seeing the glass half full, talking to myself and all the creatures of Mother Earth and the Otherworlds, recreating myself and my environment to match my heart’s joy, and embracing being silly despite others around me acting all “grown up”.

    If you struggle with writing or feeling a block with your creativity, check out number eight of the ten benefits of play in the article within Brad’s blog post.

    If you allow yourself to spread your wings beyond the boundaries conditioning has created and embrace having more fun, playing, and being silly now and then, you will definitely feel a difference in your life and experience it through different eyes as well.

    Your projects, dreams, and writing will get a boost of freshness, as you reset a new way of being that embraces all those wonderful core parts of who you really are, rather than making them feel like they need to behave and have a life-long time out in the corner – remember, nobody puts Baby in the corner!

    I hope this article helps inspire you to play more and make 2019 more joyous for you. I really do believe you’ll find your projects and life flowing and thriving more.

    Here’s an accompanying short blog inspiration I shared before, with some quotes to inspire more play – https://taniamarieartist.wordpress.com/2017/11/13/play-more/

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  12. I love this. When I was in my 20s, I used to make my roommate color with me in a coloring book as we watched Saturday morning cartoons in our PJs. She used to laugh but was used to me being weird. I now see that I was trying to keep us creative and happy at a time when our “big” new jobs and adulthood could feel overwhelming. The pic of you and your nephew is adorable!

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  13. Great post and so true. It has been an eye opener to me over the last two years, the more I play with our grand daughter….the more I feel myself relax and really enjoy the moment….as always great post and very informative!! Have a playful week!!

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  14. Loved this Brad… as children all we did were Play, we couldn’t wait to get outdoors and use our imaginations, the broom would be a horse, the top of the steps on our garden would be the castle.. lol. Lots of fun. You and your nephew look to be having a giggle of a time..
    And as adults its important for us to learn how to play. and let go of stress and worry…
    I hope you enjoy more Play time Brad. 🙂

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