THE POWER OF PLAY
Play shapes the brain, opens the imagination and invigorates the soul
~Stuart Brown, M.D.
One of the fascinating facts about brain development is that as far as the brain is concerned, we are all born premature. Even though we are born with 100 billion nerve cells, they are not yet connected in networks. At birth, our organs and muscles are completely developed, although smaller than they will be, but our brain is only about one-fifth its final size.
The reason Mother Nature didn't finish the job and give us a complete brain is simple: it would have required a much bigger head. I think she knew that we women would not want the newborn head to be any bigger than it is. The head is quite big enough. Thank-you.
These 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) are like a mass of unconnected electrical wires and the forming of connections are the key tasks of early brain development. In the first decade of life as we experience the surrounding world, our brain will constantly strive to connect the wires that enable them to communicate with each other and store information. Each individual neuron differentiates to assume specialized roles and may be connected to as many as 15,000 other neurons, forming a network of neural pathways that is immensely complex.
The number and organization of these connections influence everything, from the ability to recognize letters to the maintenance of relationships. If these pathways are not used repeatedly, or often enough, they are eliminated. In this way, experience plays a crucial role in “wiring” a young child’s brain.
In the beginning, we start making connection using our sensory system. We are, mostly, all born being able to see, smell, hear, taste and feel touch with every part of our skin. We are also able to be aware if our body movements (our kinesthetic/ motor sense).
Our experiences in life, then, start connecting pathways between these senses to make sense of our world. For example, the infant begins to put together the combination of a particular face, voice and smell, to mean mama or main caregiver. She also learns that when those sensations are combined with a particular taste, touch and body position, it means, "Time to nurse!" Another combination of sensations means dad or that rough older brother or the dog. So, little by little, experience-by-experience, pathways are formed that allow information to travel through the brain. The more pathways, the larger the brain.
You can see how the child’s experiences has enormous impact on how these nerve cells get connected or “wired” to each other. The new news, relatively hot off the neuroscience press, is that all experiences are not created equal. They do not all lay down new pathways. Some experiences don’t change the brain at all while others make big changes. The deciding factor of whether the experience is going to lead to a bigger brain is (drum roll, please)…….Joy! Kids brains grow when engaged in playful engaging activities.
If children are enJOYing the experience in an activity that engages them and excites their imagination, it supports healthy brain development and maximizes learning. There is a significant proven correlation between stimulating and joyful activities and healthy brain development. It makes sense: focused attention is a necessary ingredient for learning and children attend to an activity when it is interesting, fun and meaningful.
To quote Stuart Brown, M.D., psychiatrist, clinical researcher, and the founder of the National Institute for Play,
"Neuroscientists, developmental biologists, psychologists, social scientists, and researchers from every point of the scientific compass now know that play is a profound biological process. It shapes the brain."
This is true for all children. Stanley Greenspan, M.D. author and noted authority on children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder emphasizes the importance of the "Floortime" approach where getting down and creatively playing on the floor with these children make significant difference in their brain growth and subsequent increases in skills.
The instant effect of joyful play on brain growth was shown dramatically when two groups of children had brain imaging done before and after activities. One group ‘s activities were TV watching, repetitive video games and the like. The other kids were engaged in activities that were exciting for them such as playing with a train and making up stories, with their adult, about the action taking place .The images of the brains of the children not particularly engaged showed no changes. But the brain mages of the children who were enjoying and engaged in these multisensory creative activities showed immediate differences. New synaptic connections were actually visible in the brain scan!
In brain-speak, stimulating experiences activate certain neural synapses and this triggers growth processes that consolidate those connections. Rich experiences, in other words, really do produce rich brains
The sad news is that synapses that are not activated progressively wither over time. Those 100 billion cells get pruned away through the "use it or lose it" principle
Even worse, while positive experiences can help brighten a child’s future, negative experiences can do the opposite. Deprived of a positive, stimulating environment, a child’s brain suffers. Stressful experiences also shape a child’s developing brain. When children are faced with physical or emotional stress or trauma, one of the stress-related systems “turns on” by releasing the hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol can cause brain cells to die and reduces the connections between the cells in certain areas of the brain.
Babies with strong, positive emotional bonds to their caregivers and enjoyable playful experiences in their lives show consistently lower levels of cortisol in their brains
Further proof is a study, completed at the Baylor College of Medicine, which showed that babies who had the chance to play often and who were held and touched often as infants, have larger brains with more neural pathways than children who received less playful attention and care when they were babies.
Play is essential to a child's development and children like to play. It is what they do and how they learn
This news about the connection between play and brain growth is especially meaningful to me. I’m an occupational therapist who has worked with children for over forty years, especially those with special needs. My therapy has always included a large amount of game playing. I’ve seen how drilling children on a fact doesn’t mean that they will remember it tomorrow. Instead, my experiences show me that when kids are having fun and enjoying themselves in the learning process, they retain the information. Rather than point to the colors on a chart and naming them, for example, I lay down a slew of colored paper and ask the child to jump to all the ones that are red, then jump sideways to the ones that are green and backwards to the ones that are yellow. Looking for the matching color and having the thrill of jumping to it makes a connection between the visual and motor neurons, enhancing the cognitive understanding of colors.
Intertwined with the fun factor in learning facts is creative imagination and novelty. It’s easier to understand and remember the names of shapes when you throw a ball at the picture of a circle, which is a sun, and at the square that is also a house and at the triangle that is also a sailboat. Or, if you want a child to learn and remember a shape, such as a rectangle, ask him to run around the room and find everything that is a rectangle
We parents are in the prime position to continue to enlarge our children’s brains through play. But, with work and other obligations and especially if we weren't played with as children by our parents, it may feel that we don't have the time or knowledge to add "playtime" to our over- burdened schedules.
This article hopes to show you that we don't need a lot of time or special equipment and that we all have within us a sense of play. The suggestions below will feel do-able and can be done with a moment here, a moment there and with no more materials than a good mood.
Try out some of these ideas for a spontaneous game or let them inspire you to do others. Your children will think they are just having fun, but you'll know they are making new synaptic connections!
BUBBLE BLOWING
Take out a bubble wand and a jar of bubbles and blow and every kid (and grown-up) gets captivated. In this game, they can make all the bubbles they want with just a straw and some soapy water.
Fill a bowl halfway with water. Add two or three tablespoons of dish detergent and some food coloring. Place the bowl in the middle of a small table. If inside the house, put a plastic sheet over the table first to keep it from getting wet.
DIRECTIONS
Have the children sit around the table so that they can all reach the bowl with the straw when they lean in. Give each child a straw to place in the bowl and have the children blow bubbles in the water. When a large amount of bubbles are on top of the water, place a sheet of white or color construction paper on top of the bubbles. The bubbles will pop on the paper making a beautiful circular design.
To prevent a child from sucking the bubble solution up the straw, poke a few small holes in the straw one-inch from the top.
VARIATIONS
1) Use an eggbeater instead of straws and have each child take a turn using it.
2) Use the paper to form cards that the children can draw or scribble on and give to parents.
3) Scoop up some bubbles and place them on your chin to make a “beard”
4) Scoop up some bubbles and place them on the table. Lightly blow on the top bubble and watch it expand
WHAT IS BEING LEARNED
Children are learning breath control. The harder they blow, the more bubbles they will get. They see the consequences of actions when they make the bubbles and when they see what happens when the paper is placed on the bubbles.
They are all doing the same thing together. Being aware of this adds to the feeling of fun. Encourage this by saying "Everyone is making bubbles. Let's all make even more!"
MODIFICATIONS
For the child who cannot sustain an interest in blowing, have him help put the paper on top and see the results.
CEREAL BOX PUZZLES
Cereal and cracker boxes can be used to make an instant puzzle. This is a good way to recycle, reuse and educate.
Cut out the front and back of the cereal box. Cut each side in half forming two large rectangles.
Make a few sets of puzzles so each child in the group can have their own.
DIRECTIONS
Show children how the two parts can be put together to make a whole picture again. Then let them try it on their own. Provide assistance as needed. Once the children accomplish the task a few times, have them trade puzzles with another child.
VARIATIONS
1) After the children have mastered this game, you cut or have them cut the halves in half again so that there are now four pieces to each puzzle.
2) Cut another box side with a diagonal cut this time so that you have two triangular halves instead of two rectangles.
3) When the children are ready for an added challenge, cut the pieces in abstract shapes rather than just squares, triangles or rectangles. If your child needs help with this type of puzzle, you can lay the puzzle on a piece of paper and outline each piece so he can see how the shapes fit together more clearly.
4) You can also make a more attractive (and less commercial looking) puzzle by pasting a picture from a magazine on a piece of cardboard instead. Pictures from National Geographic or Smithsonian magazines work well.
If you want to reuse the puzzles, they keep nicely in a brown mailing envelope. Or, poke a hole in the corner of each puzzle piece, stick a paper clip through the holes and hang them up on a cup hook.
WHAT IS BEING LEARNED
Puzzles encourage children to notice similarities, such as how the color red or the bold line in one piece match up to the same features in another piece.
When children try more than one puzzle, they are learning to transfer their knowledge from one experience to a similar one.
By trading puzzles with classmates, they are learning the upside of sharing, it enlarges ones experiences. In other words, share and you get more puzzles.
MODIFICATIONS
For children who have motoric difficulties and tend to be clumsy with their hands, lay down a non-slip mat so the cardboard puzzle piece will stay put while the other piece or pieces are being added.
To help children understand the concept of putting parts together to make a whole, make sure that they are part of the process by either letting them see the picture on the whole side of the box before you cut it, letting them help you cut the box, or letting them cut the box in half themselves.
CEREAL NECKLACE
Art can be beautiful and art can be functional, but isn't it nice when it's also edible?
Give each child a piece of yarn, string, or fishing line that is long enough to fit over her head when tied. If you use yarn or string, it can be helpful to younger ones if you put a piece of tape on the stringing end so that it’s firmer and goes more easily through the hole in the cereal.
DIRECTIONS
Encourage the child to put the cereal pieces on the string. Give whatever assistance is needed to be successful. Tie the ends of the yarn together when she’s done to make a necklace. Have your child count how many pieces of cereal are on the string.
VARIATION
1) After the child counts the number of cereal pieces on the string, let the child eat some and then count how many pieces are left. Can your child figure out how many were eaten?
2) If you want your necklace to be lasting, instead of edible, string other things, such as buttons, short pieces of colored straws, or macaroni and other hollow pasta shapes.
3) Instead of string or yarn, you could use pipe cleaners and turn the project into rings for the finger or loops to hang around the ears.
WHAT IS BEING LEARNED
Children are getting practice in focusing on small objects and directing their fingers. They are also getting practice in counting and, for some, the concept of subtraction.
MODIFICATIONS
For children who are not yet able to coordinate both hands working together, have an adult or other player hold the string steady.
DUMP AND FILL
Enjoying filling and dumping out objects is a stage in every child's development. In this game it's the filling step that is the changing challenge.
SETUP
If you use a coffee can, cut a hole in the plastic top that is slightly smaller than the marbles.
If you use a yogurt container, cut a slit in the top to fit the poker chip.
If you use a water bottle, remove the lid or make a tiny hole in the lid.
DIRECTIONS
Have two children play this game together or an adult can play with a child. One person hands a marble to the one with the coffee can and he has to push the marble into the hole until it falls through to the can, making a satisfying thunk.
Let the children take turns being the one who puts the marble, or straw or poker chip into the appropriate container and one who hands it to him. They also take turns dumping the container to start over.
VARIATIONS
1) Put all three choices in front of the child so he has to select the correct container for the object he is handed.
2) Have the child do the game with eyes blindfolded.
WHAT IS BEING LEARNED
Children are learning to take turns and be a source of fun for each other.
They are learning the basics of fine motor control, as it takes a pincer grasp to hold the objects, as well as eye hand coordination in order to get it in the hole.
Because the hole for the marble is a little small, they are practicing their finger strength and their ability to move past a little frustration to success.
MODIFICATIONS
If your player is likely to put objects in his mouth, don't use the marble game but do use the poker chips and make the straw pieces too big to swallow.
If your player is not ready for the fine motor aspects, remove the tops of the containers and let him just put it in and dump it out without the additional challenge.
PENNY FLICK
This is a quickly organized social and fine motor game with an easy to find material, pennies.
Partner two children across from each other or have children sitting around a circular table.
DIRECTIONS
Give each child a penny and show them how to move the penny along the table by flicking their index finger with their thumb or pushing it with just their index finger or the side of their thumb. They can use whatever finger method works best for them. The method doesn’t matter. If you do the partner method, have players sitting across from each other flick their pennies towards each other trying to get them to touch.
If you use the group method, have all the players flick their pennies into the center of the table and try to get the pennies to bump into each other.
VARIATIONS
1) Set up two objects, such as two cups or just two other pennies, a short distance away from the flickers as “goal posts.” The players have to flick their pennies between the two objects. Keep making the “goal posts” closer together to increase the challenge.
2) Use straws, spoon handles, or tongue depressors, popsicle or craft sticks as hockey sticks, call the penny a “puck,” and bat the puck back and forth between the players.
3) Make a line of pennies and have the player try and hit each penny and knock it out of line.
4) Make a line of pennies with at least an inch of space between them and have the player try and flick his penny through each of the spaces. Make the first space the largest and each following spaces progressively smaller.
5) Show children how to place a penny on its edge, give it a little push and watch it roll. See how far it can go without falling over.
WHAT IS BEING LEARNED
Children are engaged in back and forth play where they are either taking turns or are playing simultaneously.
The small muscles of the hand are getting a workout in this game and children are learning how to grade the energy output of those muscles to produce the desired results.
MODIFICATIONS
Children who have difficulty controlling their fingers would do better if they used the second variation of a "hockey stick."
If the child might put small objects in his mouth, use objects too big to swallow such as poker chips, quarters or large bottle caps.
STYROFOAM HAMMERING
Styrofoam blocks provide just the right amount of resistance to hold a golf tee upright but respond immediately to any hammer blows, so the beginner only has to hammer lightly to see results.
Take a block of Styrofoam and press in the tips of golf tees so that the head of the tee and most of its length protrudes. Place the tees 2-3 inches apart.
DIRECTIONS
Give a child a small toy wooden hammer, or a tack hammer, or any hammer you feel comfortable with him using. Or, if you don't have a small size hammer, you can use a rock.
Show him how to hammer the tee into the block
Show him how he can pull the hammered tees back out of the Styrofoam, place them in another unused area of the block, and hammer again.
Once the process is learned, have the children take turns or have one child hand the tees to the other to pound. Or have the children take turns being the one who hammers and the one who pulls the tees out.
VARIATIONS
1) Use screws and a screwdriver
2) Don't use a hammer, but have children press the tee in with their fingers.
3) Use flat top roofing nails instead of golf tees
WHAT IS BEING LEARNED
There’s nothing like hammering to hammer home the concept of eye-hand coordination. To be effective, you have to watch what you are doing!
Children get the experience of being part of another's project by handing them the next tee.
MODIFICATIONS
Children who have difficulty sharing and taking turns might need to start this game by playing alone until they have had a satisfactory amount of turns. Once the newness wears off, they might be more willing to take turns.
Using the variation of pushing the tees in with their hands will work better for children who do not yet have the eye-hand coordination to aim the hammer. If you use this method, place the tee in an already made hole so that it slips down more easily
BALLOON BASEBALL
Balloons are always one of the best toys because they attract attention and they are light and easy to play with. This game uses the balloon as the ball in baseball. The balloon moves so slowly that beginners can more easily hit it.
Make newspaper bats by rolling up sections of newspaper and taping them. The more newspaper sections, the bigger the bat.
DIRECTIONS
An adult throws a balloon towards the child with the bat. Encourage the child to hit the balloon or have an adult stand behind the child and physically prompt him on timing. When the balloon is hit, encourage the other children try and catch the balloon. Have children take turns being the pitcher, the batter. the catcher, and the fielders.
WHAT IS BEING LEARNED
Children are learning to coordinate their movements and timing to connect with the balloon. They can see the results of their movements and then modify their actions to get the desired consequence.
They are learning that everyone has a different role. Someone throws, another bats and others catch.
Their balance and spatial awareness is being challenged as they run while looking up to catch the balloon and to the sides to avoid banging into others.
MODIFICATIONS
Some children will have difficulty tracking the balloon in order to catch it. They might get distracted or lose interest and need verbal cues to stay on task.
Children who have difficulty with timing and eye-hand coordination will need hand-over-hand assistance.
Visit author Barbara Sher online at www.gameslady.com
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