The more that I have direct contact with our Junior School students, the more I appreciate the imaginations of younger children. There is currently a group of boys in grade 3 who visit with me regularly in my office and have taken to making and presenting me with little gifts made in art class or during their free time. In December it was an imaginary gold brick to help pay for a new building at LCC—a Learning Commons where the old arena stands (it was actually cardboard and foil paper with gold marker in a shoe box). Last week the delegation of boys arrived asking if I often get bored. Just in case I did, they had made me a toy video game, made out of plasticine and cardboard.

What a great reminder to stay playful, find balance, and amid our to-do lists—homework and other responsibilities—find a way to be playful and see the wonder in this world…because it is all around us…..but we sometimes forget when we become too busy. In short, don’t lose your “Grade 3 attitude.” It’s actually an attribute that will serve you in important ways your whole life.

So, what is play? Researchers at the University of New Mexico Family Development program define it as the following: “Play is the way that people of all ages and cultures, discover, create and communicate……Play is the essence of life and learning.” Regardless of the definition, research has shown us how important play is for children’s development—and remains at the root of joy also in both adolescents and adults. Creativity, relaxing, self-expression, having fun, and reducing stress are timeless qualities that need to be exercised throughout life.

Researchers affirm, it’s important to your stress level and your happiness quotient that you have at least one activity that you do regularly just for fun. Hobbies and other fun activities provide an enjoyable way to sharpen skills, express your creativity, or just blow off steam. Also, when you get really engrossed in an activity you enjoy, you can experience a state of being known to psychologists as “flow;” a kind of transcendence which has significant benefits for your for your body, mind and soul.

In a recent lecture, psychiatrist Dr. Stuart Brown, president of America’s “National Institute of Play” in California, emphasized the vital importance of play. Brown opened his talk by showing an incredible series of photographs demonstrating that a huge hungry polar bear can be convinced to play with dogs rather than eating them. Like the polar bear, play also induces an “altered state” in humans. Play is a great leveler: great differences in power can be overridden by play. In fact, the absence of play is dangerous, as demonstrated by the case histories of mass murderers.

However…the study of play is still in its infancy. Historically, this has not been a well-funded area of scientific investigation. Nonetheless, the evidence we already have suggests that play is important for young people to mature cognitively, emotionally and developmentally. We already know from recent brain studies hat “nothing lights up the brain like play.” In fact, the ability to trust is learned through vocal, facial and physical gestures while playing. As the psychologist Dr. Brown indicates, humans are perhaps the species with the most special need to engage in play, whether infants, teenagers or adults.

In fact, life without play seems to lead to depression. When we look at our own personal histories to determine what sorts of activities energized us most when we were very young, we might see that we have strayed from those things that gave us the pleasure of play.
Dr. Brown actually encourages us not to focus on setting aside more time to play. Rather, he advises we should infuse every moment of our lives with play. He argues that play is just as important for humans as sound sleep is for dreaming.

So continue to work hard ….lighten up, play a little, enjoy spirit week—and make sure to include play every day thereafter. We all deserve it! — Headmaster Chris Shannon