Time 4 Play
'Play is our brain's favourite way of learning.'
Diane Ackerman
Diane Ackerman
Play is an essential part of helping to maintain our health and well-being. Studies have shown how play is thought to play a key role in helping:
- Improve memory, attention, awareness, thought, perception, language and consciousness.
- Release natural chemicals in our body which help brain functionality and stimulate creativity.
- Improve our overall physical, mental and emotional health well-being and cognitive development.
- Improve memory, attention, awareness, thought, perception, language and consciousness.
- Release natural chemicals in our body which help brain functionality and stimulate creativity.
- Improve our overall physical, mental and emotional health well-being and cognitive development.
Play-Based Learning 4 Everyone
Play-based learning is essentially, learning while you Play. It offers a holistic approach to learning and development for Everyone at any age and stage of their development.
Through Play, Participants learn valuable skills that support social, physical and cognitive development, helping them to make sense of as well as navigate the world around them.
Young children do not hold exclusive rights on Play. In fact, adults Play all the time. Throughout the day we may find ourselves slipping in and out of various roles - from Parent, to a being someone's Child, to a Friend, or a Patient, from an Employee, to a Boss. We have to navigate through each and every changeable situation, from hour to hour, moment to moment.
When an Employer seeks to invest in improving their workforce's performance, many organise team building activities which invariable include many different playful activities with intent on learning outside of the office.
Tailored Programme:
We offer a range of workshops and programmes to suit requirement:
50 minute Sessions . Half Day . One Day . One to Ten Week Programmes
For more information about Play-based Learning Contact Us
Through Play, Participants learn valuable skills that support social, physical and cognitive development, helping them to make sense of as well as navigate the world around them.
Young children do not hold exclusive rights on Play. In fact, adults Play all the time. Throughout the day we may find ourselves slipping in and out of various roles - from Parent, to a being someone's Child, to a Friend, or a Patient, from an Employee, to a Boss. We have to navigate through each and every changeable situation, from hour to hour, moment to moment.
When an Employer seeks to invest in improving their workforce's performance, many organise team building activities which invariable include many different playful activities with intent on learning outside of the office.
Tailored Programme:
We offer a range of workshops and programmes to suit requirement:
50 minute Sessions . Half Day . One Day . One to Ten Week Programmes
For more information about Play-based Learning Contact Us
Inspired by my lock-down experience, I felt compelled to create a Games 4 Everyone! page. The list is certainly not exhaustive! Search the world wide web for more ideas!
Screen-Gazing
As a child (many, many, many years ago), I was very much a daydreamer and loved to play. However, I was often told to 'grow up' and concentrate on my studies.
Nowadays kids are encouraged to, what I call 'screen-gaze' i.e. look to a screen for work, rest and play.
Children and adults alike, can spend hours, screen-gazing, not only at home, but out in public too, including parks!
Places of learning seem to be no better. In schools, the mantra is the same everywhere; children are told to sit quiet whilst many lessons are taught on screen using white boards, tablets and personal IPads.
The rise in screen-gazing and the rise in the number of childhood illness should not be ignored. More and more studies show the link between our lifestyle and our well-being.
Medical practitioners are slowly beginning to open their eyes to the benefits of play and exercise, when it comes to helping children deal with anxiety, trauma, depression, obesity, self-harm and other child related diseases and disorders.
Nowadays kids are encouraged to, what I call 'screen-gaze' i.e. look to a screen for work, rest and play.
Children and adults alike, can spend hours, screen-gazing, not only at home, but out in public too, including parks!
Places of learning seem to be no better. In schools, the mantra is the same everywhere; children are told to sit quiet whilst many lessons are taught on screen using white boards, tablets and personal IPads.
The rise in screen-gazing and the rise in the number of childhood illness should not be ignored. More and more studies show the link between our lifestyle and our well-being.
Medical practitioners are slowly beginning to open their eyes to the benefits of play and exercise, when it comes to helping children deal with anxiety, trauma, depression, obesity, self-harm and other child related diseases and disorders.
'A family that plays together, stays together.'
Benefits of Play
Play has certainly taken a knocking over the years, some believing that it can be dangerous, doing more harm than good.
The thought of kids running around, wild at home or in the classroom, will probably send chills down the spine of many grown ups who live or work with kids.
Perhaps as a society we have become more risk adverse, always having to assess and weigh up every possible danger before allowing a child to venture out.
Teachers in schools have to wade through paperwork as thick as my thighs before visiting a local library. As a consequence, a decline in lessons being taught outside the classroom, has dropped considerably in recent years.
When virtual games first came out, I scoffed at the thought of anyone wanting to play an online game of tennis or football over the real thing.
Nowadays, kids can spend hours on a virtual pitch or court, rather than a real one. Perhaps, playing a game of football online may seem far 'safer' than getting hit by a ball or pulling a hamstring whilst running for an actual one.
However, the benefits of engaging in real-life. actual play far outweigh the so-called risks. The lock-down in March 2020, certainly taught me a few things. Essentially, how much real-life play and social interaction is such a necessary part of our daily lives and that without it, our physical, mental and emotional health and well-being can suffer.
I also learnt that I do not need to chauffeur my kids around, looking to pay someone, anyone... to entertain my kids. During lock-down, we learnt to become more self-reliant and resourceful. I discovered, the simplest of things, such as going for a walk could be a lot less hassle and much, much more fun.
Moreover, coming up with our own games and ideas was and felt a lot more rewarding. I was amazed to discover just how many games can be adapted for three players.
The thought of kids running around, wild at home or in the classroom, will probably send chills down the spine of many grown ups who live or work with kids.
Perhaps as a society we have become more risk adverse, always having to assess and weigh up every possible danger before allowing a child to venture out.
Teachers in schools have to wade through paperwork as thick as my thighs before visiting a local library. As a consequence, a decline in lessons being taught outside the classroom, has dropped considerably in recent years.
When virtual games first came out, I scoffed at the thought of anyone wanting to play an online game of tennis or football over the real thing.
Nowadays, kids can spend hours on a virtual pitch or court, rather than a real one. Perhaps, playing a game of football online may seem far 'safer' than getting hit by a ball or pulling a hamstring whilst running for an actual one.
However, the benefits of engaging in real-life. actual play far outweigh the so-called risks. The lock-down in March 2020, certainly taught me a few things. Essentially, how much real-life play and social interaction is such a necessary part of our daily lives and that without it, our physical, mental and emotional health and well-being can suffer.
I also learnt that I do not need to chauffeur my kids around, looking to pay someone, anyone... to entertain my kids. During lock-down, we learnt to become more self-reliant and resourceful. I discovered, the simplest of things, such as going for a walk could be a lot less hassle and much, much more fun.
Moreover, coming up with our own games and ideas was and felt a lot more rewarding. I was amazed to discover just how many games can be adapted for three players.
Making Time 4 Play
As a parent, with two school-aged children, I thought I must be active as I'm always busy to-ing and fro-ing, juggling mine and the kids lives and schedules. But I was wrong! It took an App on my phone to tell me how much our dependence on electronical devices had grown.
So, I called a family meeting. Myself and the kids all sat down and we went through our daily schedule - from the time we wake up, until the time we usually go to bed. We were all surprised to find out how much more time we spent sitting, staring goggle-eyed into a screen, then being up and active.
Worse still... this App only recorded time spent on a screen and did not record all the times spent sitting... in a car, stuck in traffic... having a meal... in a meeting... or in my children's case, sat in a classroom, which shockingly is an awful lot of hours when you add it up!
With usually 30 kids in a classroom, that is jam-packed with chairs and desks and shelving, there is very little room to manoeuvre and teachers constantly remind children to "sit down!" or "keep still!" Worse still, from KS2 onwards, children have their breaks reduced to a fifteen minute break in the morning and an hour for lunch, which is halved when you include queuing up for your meal and eating it.
There is so much literature out there telling us, yelling at us... that we need to stop sitting and to keep moving. However, theory and practice seem out of sync, especially when it comes to following good practice with our kids.
During the lock-down, screen time dramatically increased for all of us, most notably my kids. And despite an easing, my kids homework continues to remain online, plus more and more schools are introducing IPads for kids to work from.
TOP OF THE AGENDA
We can all get stuck in a rut, moving around quite contentedly in our comfort zones. So, when it come to shaking things up, it can be quite daunting for everyone. Having a starting point really helped set the agenda and steer us gently in the direction we all knew was right for us and wanted to go in.
I began by putting our family's health right at the top of our agenda. Like everything else I cram into my diary, I scheduled time for movement throughout the day, making sure that any changes made, were going to be welcomed and more importantly, enjoyed by all.
Take the 'B' word out of Play
With my kids, you only have to mention the word 'exercise' and and they would start yawning! The thought of exercise, triggers a response in the brain, which screams out 'boring' and therefore, many avoid doing it. And whilst there are many others who try to exercise - and when I say try, I mean they really try and feel desperately guilty when they can no longer stomach the thought of it - they find their enthusiasm short lived, keeping it up for a certain period of time, before giving up altogether.
In my opinion, exercise should not feel like exercise at all. It should neatly and naturally fit into every part of your everyday life. I don't particularly like housework, but it has to be done and guess what? It is a great form of exercise. So, to tackle the boredom, my kids and I may put on the radio, listen to an audio book, or break out into sweat scrubbing and cleaning as we move around to music, which is usually on full blast - I'm not sure if the neighbours fully appreciate our enthusiasm!
So, I called a family meeting. Myself and the kids all sat down and we went through our daily schedule - from the time we wake up, until the time we usually go to bed. We were all surprised to find out how much more time we spent sitting, staring goggle-eyed into a screen, then being up and active.
Worse still... this App only recorded time spent on a screen and did not record all the times spent sitting... in a car, stuck in traffic... having a meal... in a meeting... or in my children's case, sat in a classroom, which shockingly is an awful lot of hours when you add it up!
With usually 30 kids in a classroom, that is jam-packed with chairs and desks and shelving, there is very little room to manoeuvre and teachers constantly remind children to "sit down!" or "keep still!" Worse still, from KS2 onwards, children have their breaks reduced to a fifteen minute break in the morning and an hour for lunch, which is halved when you include queuing up for your meal and eating it.
There is so much literature out there telling us, yelling at us... that we need to stop sitting and to keep moving. However, theory and practice seem out of sync, especially when it comes to following good practice with our kids.
During the lock-down, screen time dramatically increased for all of us, most notably my kids. And despite an easing, my kids homework continues to remain online, plus more and more schools are introducing IPads for kids to work from.
TOP OF THE AGENDA
We can all get stuck in a rut, moving around quite contentedly in our comfort zones. So, when it come to shaking things up, it can be quite daunting for everyone. Having a starting point really helped set the agenda and steer us gently in the direction we all knew was right for us and wanted to go in.
I began by putting our family's health right at the top of our agenda. Like everything else I cram into my diary, I scheduled time for movement throughout the day, making sure that any changes made, were going to be welcomed and more importantly, enjoyed by all.
Take the 'B' word out of Play
With my kids, you only have to mention the word 'exercise' and and they would start yawning! The thought of exercise, triggers a response in the brain, which screams out 'boring' and therefore, many avoid doing it. And whilst there are many others who try to exercise - and when I say try, I mean they really try and feel desperately guilty when they can no longer stomach the thought of it - they find their enthusiasm short lived, keeping it up for a certain period of time, before giving up altogether.
In my opinion, exercise should not feel like exercise at all. It should neatly and naturally fit into every part of your everyday life. I don't particularly like housework, but it has to be done and guess what? It is a great form of exercise. So, to tackle the boredom, my kids and I may put on the radio, listen to an audio book, or break out into sweat scrubbing and cleaning as we move around to music, which is usually on full blast - I'm not sure if the neighbours fully appreciate our enthusiasm!
Make a DOABLE List
Over the weeks, my kids and I gradually built up a 'doable' schedule, which in effect, was just another kind of 'things to do' list. First things first, we had to tackle the issue around screen time. And when I say tackle, I was prepared for a battle.
Apart from homework, I had to get my kids to agree to NO SCREEN time during the school week. This certainly was no easy feat, let me tell you! Like most kids, mine were absolutely horrified at the thought of no screen time. But when they looked at their schedule and we spoke about what else we could do to fill the time, it no longer became such an issue.
Looking back, I can see just how much we had all become so dependent on a screen to fill our time. For the kids, their devotion seemed to strip away their ability to think or act creatively and independently. At the very beginning, they were at a total loss. They kept asking me, "What shall I do?"
BE PREPARED
The thing to do is - be prepared. We had come up with an list of activities, which we still keep adding to on a regular basis. If they ever ask me what to do, I simply say, "Check the activity list and you choose".
We now have a folder on hand for when my kids get stuck or feel bored. In it, lists all the games and activities they enjoy. If lists and folders are not your thing, there are hundreds of websites with plenty of ideas right at your finger tips.
Check our Games 4 Everyone page - it is work in progress, but hopefully you can pick up a few ideas and even adapt them to suit your own family. ENJOY!
Over the weeks, my kids and I gradually built up a 'doable' schedule, which in effect, was just another kind of 'things to do' list. First things first, we had to tackle the issue around screen time. And when I say tackle, I was prepared for a battle.
Apart from homework, I had to get my kids to agree to NO SCREEN time during the school week. This certainly was no easy feat, let me tell you! Like most kids, mine were absolutely horrified at the thought of no screen time. But when they looked at their schedule and we spoke about what else we could do to fill the time, it no longer became such an issue.
Looking back, I can see just how much we had all become so dependent on a screen to fill our time. For the kids, their devotion seemed to strip away their ability to think or act creatively and independently. At the very beginning, they were at a total loss. They kept asking me, "What shall I do?"
BE PREPARED
The thing to do is - be prepared. We had come up with an list of activities, which we still keep adding to on a regular basis. If they ever ask me what to do, I simply say, "Check the activity list and you choose".
We now have a folder on hand for when my kids get stuck or feel bored. In it, lists all the games and activities they enjoy. If lists and folders are not your thing, there are hundreds of websites with plenty of ideas right at your finger tips.
Check our Games 4 Everyone page - it is work in progress, but hopefully you can pick up a few ideas and even adapt them to suit your own family. ENJOY!
