Play ball, hopscotch, Simon says, chase, or hide and seek—springtime beckons us outdoors for endless fun. From baseball fields to parks, backyard BBQs to poolside lounging, families relish in the joy of play. But it is more than just fun and games. Playtime is essential for mental health, brain development, and learning. So, before we explore local play options, let’s take a moment to appreciate why play is vital for children and adults alike.
A LOOK AT LEARNING
Let’s begin with learning. Our brains are intricate networks of neurons connected by synapses. These synapses form pathways that strengthen with use, a process we commonly recognize as learning. Typically, it takes more than 400 repetitions to establish a new synapse and truly learn a skill. However, when these repetitions occur during play, it only takes about 12 recurrences to form a synapse. (Reference: Stuart Brown, 2009, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, Penguin Group).
Put simply, employing play to teach or learn a new concept takes only 3% of the time. As any teacher will attest, time is a precious commodity in the classroom. Therefore, if you aim to educate children—or anyone, for that matter—effectively and efficiently, harness the power of play!
We’ve acknowledged the potency of play for learning, but what precisely constitutes play? Across various cultures, age groups, and environments, play typically embodies a blend of the following traits for both adults and children:
(1) Play is joyful
(2) Play is centered around meaning-making
(3) Play is active (often includes outdoor/nature experiences)
(4) Play includes curiosity, trial and error, and messing up
(5) Play includes social connection and relationships
Taking a quick look back at the past month, children and families have encountered numerous experiences marked by these traits: Engagement in rodeo mutton bustin’, exploration and learning through trial and error at the local library and fostering social bonds in Little League. Yet, upon closer examination, it becomes evident that this list of community engagements shares a common thread—nearly all involve the fifth hallmark of play, “social connection and relationships.” This correlation isn’t unexpected, given recent data indicating that Tehama, Glenn, and Colusa surpass state averages in providing children with positive social connections and relationships.
During the Annual Board Appreciation Dinner in March, First 5 Tehama Executive Director Heidi Mendenhall shared this powerful information, “We have all heard about and feel the impact of the negative childhood experiences. However, it is also incredibly effective for us to realize the importance and effect of powerful childhood experiences. Each positive experience has the ability to outshine the negative in resilience, specifically in the presence of a healthy adult. It is all about where our experiences move the fulcrum and how we can use the positive experiences to tip the scales.” See data slides HERE.
DATA-DRIVEN
The data evidence a distinct correlation between play and the formation of social bonds. As children and adults engage in play, they accumulate these positive interactions. Play is not just about experiencing joy “in the moment.” Instead, the relationships and connections forged during play are stored and play a role in fostering resilience for confronting challenging experiences, including those leading to toxic stress.
However, there’s a caveat. For many adults who endured prolonged toxic stress in childhood due to factors like poverty, domestic violence, or systemic racism, modeling play behaviors may not come naturally. Yet, research unequivocally demonstrates that when adults engage in play with infants, children, and adolescents, it fosters profound connections and facilitates learning. This fact underscores why First 5 Tehama is passionate about offering opportunities for adults to embrace play. Providing some structure to play can ease the process for all adults. A prime illustration is the Spaghetti Marshmallow Challenge, an activity 60 Tehama County Helping Professionals found challenging and enjoyable!
This playful activity allowed professionals from various agencies, regions, and age groups to forge connections and deepen their understanding through play. (Explore the learning outcomes from this experience HERE.) Whether you’re seeking to hone your play skills or foster connections among 8-12-year-olds, teenagers, youth group leaders, educators, new team members, or families, discover more about this engaging challenge HERE!
Even if you excel at embracing a playful mindset, reacquainting yourself with how to engage with infants and toddlers can pose challenges. Children under 5 undergo rapid developmental changes, switching from delighting in games like peek-a-boo to giving you a perplexed glance when your antics seem out of place. To navigate these developmental shifts more effectively, First 5 Tehama provides an online questionnaire to better equip you for continued play!
HELPFUL TIPS
It’s as easy as taking a moment to appreciate nature, dive into a good book, or share a hearty laugh. Here are some simple yet delightful ideas to kick-start playtime with your children, students, and little friends today:
- Nature Scavenger Hunt: Explore the outdoors together and search for items like leaves, rocks, or flowers
- Storytime Adventure: Let their imaginations soar with storytelling sessions, or create your own stories together
- Indoor Fort Building: For an afternoon of imaginative play, construct a cozy fort using blankets, pillows, and furniture
- Arts and Crafts: Break out the paints, crayons, and paper for a creative crafting session
- Kitchen Experiments: Whip up some fun in the kitchen with easy and safe cooking or baking activities
- Music and Dance Party: Turn up the tunes and have a dance-off or make homemade instruments for a jam session
- Role-Play Scenarios: Act out favorite stories, pretend to be superheroes, or create a make-believe world together
- Outdoor Games: Play classic games like tag, hide and seek, or hopscotch in the backyard or local park
- Science Experiments: Conduct simple experiments like making slime, discovering solar power, or exploring buoyancy
- Puzzles and Board Games: Challenge their minds with puzzles, board games, or card games suitable for their age group
IMAGINATION LIBRARY
It is official! The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is live in OUR AREA. Have you heard of this fantastic program yet? Let’s quickly fill you in. The mission of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is to ignite a passion for reading by providing free books to children from birth to age five. These books are made possible through the collaborative efforts of Dolly Parton herself and local community partners Tehama County Education Foundation, First 5 Tehama, and many more literacy champions in our area. Sign up today – HERE.
NEW CREDENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES
There are NEW Local Education and Credentialing opportunities in Tehama County. There are many prospects out there, but knowing where to go can be difficult. Shasta College just made the process much easier with two new comparison charts of options. Click the links below to learn more.
Shasta College BOLD ECE Degree Options
https://scmainweb.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/resources/bold-ece-degree-options.pdf
Shasta College BOLD Liberal Studies Degree Options
https://scmainweb.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/resources/bold-liberal-studies-degree-options-v2.pdf
Shasta College BOLD Teaching Credential Options
https://scmainweb.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/resources/bold-teaching-credential-options.pdf
