5 ProvenBenefits Of Play

Itmay be a newschoolyear, yet I cometosingthepraises of trampolinesandbubble-blowing, pillowfortsandpeekaboo, MonopolyandMarco Polo.

A newpaper in thejournal Pediatrics summarizestheevidenceforlettingkidsletloose. "Play is not frivolous," thepaperinsists, twice. "It is brainbuilding." Theauthors — Michael Yogman, Andrew Garner, JeffreyHutchinson, Kathy Hirsh-PasekandRobertaMichnickGolinkoff — ask pediatricianstotake an active role bywriting a "prescriptionforplay" fortheiryoungpatients in thefirsttwoyears of life.

"Play is disappearing," saysHirsh-Pasek, a developmentalpsychologistwho is a professor at TempleUniversityand a seniorfellow at theBrookingsInstitution. Bytargetingdoctors, sheexplains, thepaperhopestobuild on thesuccess of a literacyinitiativecalled Reach Outand Read. That program reachesnearly 5 millionchildrenannuallybygivingoutchildren'sbooks at doctorvisits. "Youhave an opportunitythere" tochangebehavior, shesays.

Prescribingplayforkids? Really?

It's a signthat "we'reliving in differenttimes," commentsAnthonyDeBenedet, a doctor, andco-author of The Art of Roughhousing andtheauthor of PlayfulIntelligence, whowas not involved in thepaper. But he callsthearticle "beautiful" in theway it marshalsthe hard evidence in favor of climbingtreesandtalking on banana phones.

Play is, bydefinition, intrinsicallymotivated. People andmanyanimals do it justbecause. But apparentlyparentsandteachersthesedaysneedmore of a nudgethanthattomakethespaceforplay. So here aresome of theresearchfindingsthatappear in thepaper.

1. Play is essentialforhealthybraindevelopment.

Inordertogrowanddevelophealthyconnections, ourbrainsneedplenty of somethingcalledbrain-derivedneurotrophicfactor, or BDNF. Thispapercites studiesshowing whathappenedwhenyoungratswereallowedtotussleandtumbletogether. Half an hour of thiskind of playactually changedtheexpression of theirgenes in a waythatpromotedtheproduction of BDNF.

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2. Play reducesobesityandassociateddiseases.

Toddlerswithplenty of chancestorun, jumpandclimbgrowintokidswhoarephysicallyconfidentandmorelikelyto be activeandhealthyadults. Onestudy cited in thispaperlooked at children in Head Start preschools, whichservelow-incomecommunities. Theyoungoneswhogot at least an hour a day of outdoorplayshowedsignificantimprovement in their body massindexes. Thosewhogotthemostoutdoor time were 42 percentlesslikelyto be overweightbytheend of theyear, withpositiveassociationsstrongestamongchildrenwhogrewup in theleast-safeneighborhoods.

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3. Play helpschildrenmanagestressandevenrecoverfromtrauma.

This is an emergingarea, and "weneedmuchmoreresearch," saysHirsh-Pasek. Thepapercitesanimalstudies, as well as a study of a yearlongintervention in a preschool. Youngchildrenwithdisruptivebehaviorwereassignedtoplayregularly, one-on-onewith a teacher, withtheadultlettingthechildtakethelead. This is an approachknown as "banking time," as in storingupwarm, relationship-buildingmoments. Comparedto a controlgroup, thechildrenshowedimprovedbehaviorandreducedcortisol, a stresshormone.

4. Play helpsfamiliesbond.

Continuingwiththetheme of banking time, play is alsoimportantforbuildingrelationshipsbetweenparentsorothercaregiversandkids, Hirsh-Pasekpointsout. "Theconversationswithkidsthatcomeout in playarebrain-builders." Andplayencourages emotionalattunement — getting on thesamepage, feelings-wise — which in turn can helpchildrenlearntoregulatetheiremotionswhenthecookiecrumbles.

5. Play contributestoacademicskills.

No, everythingdoesn'thaveto be about test scores! But play is alsogoodfor test scores, saysHirsh-Pasek. Thispaperarguesthat at tender ages, improvisationalpretend-play, not directinstruction, is whatreallyfeedsbothlanguagedevelopmentand general knowledge, not tomention, again, kids' intrinsicmotivation. Hirsh-Paseksuggeststhatparentsstartsmall.

"Playingwithblocksforeventwominuteshelpsyouusewordstogether. Itbuildsgreater STEM learningskills. And I think it benefitsparents, too!"