The struggle of maturity is to recover the seriousness of the child at play. – Nietzsche via The Virtues Of Play.
The article from Wired was based on studies done with preschool children, stating that “unstructured play turns out to be one of the most important aspects of Pre-K education.” I’ve always felt that way, so the study certainly wasn’t eye opening for me.
But as I read, it caused me to reflect on how often I’ve told people, both privately and in group presentations, to simply PLAY when they are trying to learn something new, especially something new in the online space.
I’m a firm believer that when it’s time to take in a new skill, play is one of the best ways to do so. There is a fundamental shift in the way our brain processes information that occurs when we set out to have fun. We know this to be true in children. “According to the researchers, the advantage of play is that it’s often deeply serious – the best way to get kids to focus, to exercise those attentional circuits, is to let them have fun.”
Are we really all that different as adults?
The top shelf of my desk is covered with Legos. Ideas and solutions come from busy hands and a wandering mind.
I found that as I homeschool my girls, even though they are reaching high school level, they still like the play-doh and paper craft projects that help them learn their lessons!
I tend to shy away from the hands on, but still cling to the fun stories to get my point across. But I know hands-on is best!
Now, how to apply that to clients when I’m trying to teach them something… hmmm…