FYI BEAUMONT | May 2016

Main Feature

Play! What is it and What are the Benefits?CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MAY May 1 – 7 Mental Health Week

May 1 – 7 Emergency Preparedness Week

May 1 – 7 Hospice Palliative Care Week;

May 1 – 7 Hunger Awareness Week

May 6th Students Against Drunk Driving Dodgeball Tournament at ESBCHS

www.beaumont.ab.ca/fcss

It is almost impossible to give a clear

and concise definition of the word play

because there are so many variations of

play. What one person defines as play

may be very different than what play is

to another and yet play is universal and

necessary to all. Webster’s Dictionary

defines play as: “to move lightly, rapidly,

etc.: to engage in recreation: to take part

in game or sport: to perform on a musical

instrument: to give out sounds: to act in a

specified way”.

Stuart Brown, MD and author of the book

“Play” writes that he doesn’t really use an

absolute definition of Play because it’s

varied, preverbal and preconscious. He

does, however give us his ideas of what

the properties of play are:

• Apparentlypurposeless

(done for own sake)

• Voluntary

• Inherentattraction

• Freedomfromtime

• Diminishedconsciousnessofself

• Improvisationalpotential

• Continuationdesire

So what do those properties mean? Well,

according to Brown, play doesn’t seem to

have survival value like getting us money

for paying the rent or putting food on

the table, but, it is done for our own sake.

We do it voluntarily because it makes us

feel good when we don’t have to worry

abouttime.Asamatteroffact,ifweare

fully engaged we don’t even worry if we

look good or not! Equally important is that

when we play we do it without preparation

and we do so with whatever is at hand. Not

only that, we want to keep doing it!

Play is absolutely essential to every

aspect of early development and lays the

foundation for formal learning and success

throughout life. It underlies everything from

physical health and well-being, to social

competence, emotional maturity, language

and thinking skills and communication skills

and general knowledge. Dr. Jane Hewes

whowrites,“LettheChildrenPlay:Nature’s

AnswertoEarlyLearning”statesthatPlayis

also responsible for promoting confidence,

creativity, scientific reasoning and abstract

thinking.

Recent neuroscientific research also

suggests there are significant benefits from

spontaneous free play and that having

an adult engage in the child’s play is even

more beneficial. What you play isn’t as

important as following your child’s lead

during play time. But most importantly

having fun together is the goal.

FYI BEAUMONT | May 2016

www.beaumont.ab.ca/fcss

Play for Seniors - Play is for Everyone

FYI Beaumont | May 2016 Page 2

Play is not just for children. In the adult world, play is often in the form of music, drama, novels, dances, celebrations and festivals. It enables adults to attain a higher level of existence, to develop new levels of mastery, imagination and culture. It allows adults to be free within their social structures.

Adultplayisfrequentlyundertakenwithaspecificgoalinmind such as 1) social bonding; 2) emotional expression, 3) cognitive development; and 4) constructive competition. Stuart Brown, the founder of the National Institute for Play, believes that many adults close themselves off to play because they think they should always be serious and productive.

Theoppositeofplayisnotwork.AccordingtoStuartBrown,the opposite of play is depression. Play allows us to express joy and connect deeply with what is best in ourselves and others.

So why Intergenerational Play Intergenerational play engenders respect for the differences and similarities of each generation’s knowledge, strength and values.DuringSeniorsWeek2016,FCSSwillbehostinganintergenerational activity with seniors and children from the EarlyLearningChildcareCentreusingLEGO®bricks.

LEGO®SERIOUSPLAY®isaprocessusingbricksdesigneddevelopedbyLEGO®tobringthecreativityandinspirationofplaytovariouscommunitygroups.InfactthewordLEGO®isacontractionoftheDanishphrase“LegGodt”whichmeans“Play Well”.

There are many similarities in the benefits of intergenerational play for children and adults. Some of these include the following: • Flexibilityinthinking • Makingnewconnectionsofmeaning • Changingperspectivesandsolvingproblems • Learningtoadaptandchange • Oxygenatingandstimulatingbloodflowtothebrain • Experimentingwithnewrolesforself

Research shows that children who play with adults demonstrate greater creativity and higher levels of language and problem solving skills than when playing solely with otherchildren.Oneofthehardestthingstoteachkidsis how to make it past difficulty or boredom to find fun. Grandparentsmaytakemoretimetoletchildrenexpressthemselves in play to find enjoyment.

Play is for ChildrenPlay allows children to express and explore feelings, thought and experiences. They learn to share, to compromise and to respond to others.

Childrenhaveabuilt-inplaynature.Thisabilityallowsthemto learn about themselves and the world, stimulates the mind and body, builds bonds, fosters greater imagination and supports all stages of development www.playisforever.com.

Play and self-regulation: Imaginative play and free play are incredibly important in helping to develop the ability to self-regulate our impulses, emotions, and attention span. Researcher Laura Berk explains, “Self-regulation predicts effective development in virtually every domain.” Self–regulation isn’t an inborn skill; it is one that is learned over time, through problem-solving, understanding our emotions andproperresponsestothoseemotions.Freeplay,suchas recess, helps to foster these problem solving skills and

imaginative play can be used to explore our emotions.

Joint Storybook Reading: Reading storybooks with preschoolers promotes self-regulation, not just because it fosters language development, but because children’s stories are filled with characters who model effective self-regulatory strategies.

Encourage Children to Talk to Themselves: Like adults, children spontaneously speak to themselves to guide and manage their own behavior, children often use self-guiding comments recently picked up from their interactions with adults, demonstrating that they are beginning to apply those strategies to themselves.

Thetakeaway?Givingchildrenplay-breaksandmakingchildren’s academic lessons more playful, might be a way to enhance kids’ natural capacities for self-motivated learning.

FYI BEAUMONT | May 2016

www.beaumont.ab.ca/fcss

FYI Beaumont | May 2016 Page 3

FYI BEAUMONT | May 2016

FYI Beaumont | October 2015 Page 4

Asset BuildingLong ago are the days when the kids would be sent outside to

just ‘play’, but can your teen still benefit from ‘playtime’? Early

Childhoodeducatorsandresearchershavelongrecognizedthe

power of play for psychosocial development in children, but

why should that stop when we hit thirteen (or thirty)?

Formanyteenagers,‘play’hasturnedinto‘work’.Theyare‘playing’-piano,hockey,

soccer-by someone else’s rules and structure 5-6 days of the week. Many parents

are unsure about letting their teenager have too much free time, but by giving this

free time with some loose guidelines it can empower kids to ‘play’ again. When

letting your child pursue their interests, think ‘balance’ instead of ‘structure’. There

can be room for video games our just ‘hanging out’ in a healthy teenagers life, but

balance between ‘play’, school, structured activities and physical, mental and creative

activities is the most important factor in having well-rounded interests.

Play is also important in helping your teen find their ‘spark’. The Search Institute has

identified two important supports that thriving kids have:

1. Knowledge of what their ‘spark’ (an activity or passion that encourages kids to be

their best selves) is;

2. Oneormoreadultswhosupportandencouragethisspark.

Encourageyourteenagertotrynewthings,withoutmakingitachore.Yourteenmay

discover some hidden talents or passion that lies in them which is great! Now you get

to play the role of supporter; keeping the ‘spark’ ignited so that your child can benefit

with energy, joy and direction in their life.

TolearnmoreaboutSparksandthe40DevelopmentalAssetsgoto

www.search-institute.org

Brodie Stenhouse

CONTACT FCSS Kim Williston FCSSDirector 780-929-1006

Brodie Stenhouse CommunityDevelopmentCoordinator 780-929-1006

Kaylene McKinney CommunityDevelopmentCoordinator 780-929-1006

Jean Collins-Smith CommunityDevelopmentCoordinator 780-929-1006

Linda Mix-Kondratski YouthOutreachCoordinator 780-504-5969

Sarah Fodchuk YouthCentreSupervisor ChantalBérubéYouthCentre(CBYC) 780-929-5155

Margaret Munchrath AdministrativeSupport 780-929-1006

www.beaumont.ab.ca/fcss

FYI Beaumont | May 2016 Page 4