Introduction
Ever stood at the edge of a children’s playground and wished you could play too? This read is for you!
Familiar with this picture?
A playground full of ropes, ladders, slides and swings. Children laughing, moving joyfully from one play station to the next - exploring the possibilities of their physical bodies and wild imaginations. A feeling of innocence, simplicity, outside the boundaries of time. Children in full presence, alert and happy. This is play time!
Where are the parents?
Parents usually stand aside, at best watch and smile with a confident and proud look, signaling to the little ones that they are there for support and a hug if needed. Some parents may cast an anxious look, hoping their child doesn’t fall or get hurt. Some may even use the time to answer emails or surf the web.
What happened to us?
When did the playground become irrelevant to us adults? At what age did we lose the desire to swing, hang, jump and slide? At what point did moving our bodies become limited to a fixed hour on a particular day, usually inside a studio with machines or exercise mats? When did we start framing, cataloging and putting our movement time in a box and then complain that we don’t have the time? When did we start saying that play is only for children?
Instinctive play
Childrens’ motivation play and exploring comes from within - they play just to play, there is no hidden agenda. As the playful challenges grow so does the pleasure and desire to keep going. Watching children play, have you noticed that they instinctively know how to take care of themselves? They intuitively understand what is possible and what is not, what equipment in the park is worth trying and what is too dangerous for them. Thousands of years of evolution prepared their body to climb, hang, jump, roll and stretch. The body requires these playful movements to grow and gain strength - who ever said this stops when we enter adulthood?
Big and small - all together in the playground
Imagine a world where the little and the big kids (that’s us!) play together in the playground. We’re all enjoying the benefits of the game: creativity, development, feeling of freedom, lightness, curiosity, laughter and present-moment awareness. Can you imagine a playful adventure without a specific goal? An adventure where you can get out of the limitations of the self and set sail into imaginary realms where anything is possible. This is the world where we connect with our children in playful ways. We mutually inspire each other to feel really alive.
Playing is serious business (just don’t take yourself too seriously)
Early childhood is a significant age for adopting healthy habits for life. Children learn mostly by imitation. As we play together we demonstrate to them that there is no age limit for play - that life can continue to be a playful adventure where our imaginations roam free. Play is so important as during play, thousands of neurons fire like fireworks in the brain and physical, emotional and cognitive development is at its peak. Children need at least three hours of significant movement a day. Not just them - big kids (remember that’s us) need it too. Together in the playground we can all reap the many benefits of playtime.
The world is our playground
Why do we usually enter the playground through a protective fence? Can we view the world as one giant playground full of adventurous opportunities? With a drop of imagination along with a dash of creativity, we will never lack places to play. We’ve created an interactive movement library called Moving Nature where the entire house becomes a playground. Items you’ll find in your home like a broom, pillow, chair and even kitchen pots are all waiting for you to play with them. The games invite parents and children to connect, evolve and rediscover their playful home environments. We believe that we should never leave the playground!
