At Chicago Children’s Museum, we know the power of play, especially during difficult times.
To highlight our commitment to our mission, to your children and families, and to play, we’re featuring Natalie Bortoli, Chicago Children’s Museum’s Vice President of Educational Programming and Experience Development. In this five-part Parenting Playbook series, we’ll hear Natalie’s expert thoughts on why we need play now—maybe more than ever.
By Natalie Bortoli
Why Play?
The benefits of play have been well-documented to positively impact every domain of a child’s development: cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and language. In times of distress, play is even more critical. Why?
Connection, bonding, trust, and safety
In these times, children (and adults) need to maintain ways to connect, strengthen relationships, and build deep trust and feelings of security. Through play, and playing together, families strengthen these bonds.
Control
As much of our situation feels out of our control right now, play offers a way to be in control.
For children, play enables them to create scenarios in which they can control the narrative, determine the outcomes, and make the decisions. Children can develop enhanced confidence and a sense of mastery, which leads to greater resilience.
Expression and Emotion
Play affords children the opportunity to play out their emotions and express themselves in ways they may not be able to—or may not be comfortable doing—in “real” life. This is all the more important in times of duress.
Play can enable children to communicate thoughts non-verbally and express a multitude of emotions as they play out scenes or create art. It can also enable children to more deeply explore their own ideas, opinions, and understandings. For adults, insights into how children are feeling and how they see the world can be gained by observing what they express during play.
Stress Relief and Resilience
Play can be an escape, where children absorb deeply into what they are doing and creating, and that positive focus can help to counteract stress.
Through play, children also gain control and competence, which makes them better equipped to manage scary feelings and circumstances. Exposure to stress and trauma (including natural disasters) can compromise a child’s sense of security. Yet, as the American Academy of Pediatrics notes, “Play provides a singular opportunity to… build the safe, stable, and nurturing relationships that buffer against toxic stress and build social-emotional resilience.”
Joy
One of the very best things about play is that it can make us feel good! And we all need more of that right now.
As children and adults get absorbed in the fun of playing, their spirits rise, their happy-meter goes up, and they experience an exhilaration that positively impacts both physical and emotional health.
So, why play? Because as a source of connection, trust, control, emotional expression, stress relief, and joy, play is more essential to our well-being all times—maybe now more than ever.