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The Benefits of Play

Play doesn’t just help us build muscles or blow off steam—it benefits every aspect of our total wellness. Click on each of the seven dimensions of wellness to see the related benefits of play.

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“Play is one of life’s fundamental principles, as basic and necessary as sleep and vitamins.”

– Stuart L. Brown, MD

Studies show that, as humans, play is hardwired into our genetic code.
(St. Clair, Marianne. "Creativity: Top 10 Benefits of Play - Physical, Emotional, Mental." Creativity-Portal.com - Creativity Coaching, Art Projects, Writing Prompts, Creative Tools. 2005. http://www.creativity-portal.com/bc/other/play.html.)

89% of pediatricians believe play helps kids from becoming overweight.
(Miller, Edward, and Joan Almon. "Summary and Recommendations from Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need Play in School." Alliance for Childhood. http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/sites/allinanceforchildhood.org/files/kindergarten_8-page_summary.pdf.)

Children who live within 1km of a playground are almost five times more likely to be of healthy weight.
(Miller, Ed. "Alliance for Childhood’s Press Release on Free Play and Obesity – A Must Read! « Empowered by Play." Empowered by Play. 5 Feb. 2010.http://www.empoweredbyplay.org/2010/02/alliance-for childhoods-press-release-on-free-play-and-obesity-a-must-read.)

Play lowers the risk of hypertension and depression.
(St. Clair, Marianne. "Creativity: Top 10 Benefits of Play - Physical, Emotional, Mental." Creativity-Portal.com - Creativity Coaching, Art Projects, Writing Prompts, Creative Tools. 2005. http://www.creativity-portal.com/bc/other/play.html.)

Children who are physically active experience fewer chronic health problems than sedentary children.
("School Age Children and Physical Activity." Missouri Families. http://missourifamilies.org/features/childcarearticles/childcare9.htm.)

Play is the single most effective strategy for increasing physical activity among children.
(“Recess Rules: Why the Undervalued Playtime May be America’s Best Investment for Healthy Kids and Healthy Schools.” The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2007. http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/sports4kidsrecessreport.pdf.)

Encouraging free play is more effective than focusing on forced exercise or reducing food intake in preventing childhood weight gain.
(Dehghan, M., Akhtar-Danesh, N., and A. Merchant.“Childhood Obesity, Prevalence and Prevention.” Nutrition Journal. 2005. http://www.nutritionj.com/content/4/1/24#B65.)

Daycare centers that allow more outdoor play have fewer instances of non-attendance due to illness.
(Munoz, Sarah A. "Children in the Outdoors." Review. Sustainable Development Research Center 2009. http://www.countrysiderecreation.org.uk/Children%20Outdoors.pdf.)

"Play is the highest form of research"

– Albert Einstein

Play is linked to greater creativity and problem solving, improved reading levels, and higher IQ scores.
(Miller, Edward and Joan Almon. Crisis in the Kindergarten; Why Children Need to Play in School. Alliance for Childhood, 2009.)

Play and exploration trigger the secretion of BDNF, a substance essential for the growth of brain cells
(Dewar, Gwen. "The Cognitive Benefits of Play: Effects on the Learning Brain." Parenting Science. 2008. http://www.parentingscience.com/benefits-of-play.html.)

People who get regular play and exercise are less likely to suffer cognitive decline.
(Shute, Nancy. 10 Reasons Play Can Make You Healthy, Happy, and More Productive. US News & World Report. 9 March 2009.)

A new study in the Journal of School Health found that physically fit kids scored better on standardized math and English tests than their less fit peers.
("Physically Fit Kids do Better in School." Scientific American. 30 Jan 2009. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128113246.)

In a recent study, fourth graders who had attended play-oriented pre-schools had better academic performance than those who had attended academic-oriented pre-schools.
(Pica, Rae. "The Academics-Versus-Play Debate." Moving and Learning. "http://www.movingandlearning.com/Resources/Articles26.htm.)

90% of teachers believe physically active children are better able to learn and are better behaved in the classroom.
("First-Of-Its-Kind Gallup Poll Links Recess To Academic Achievement."The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 04 Feb. 2010. http://www.rwjf.org/vulnerablepopulations/product.jsp?id=55248&c=EMC-ADV.)

More than 8 in 10 principals report that recess has a strong positive impact on academic achievement.
("First-Of-Its-Kind Gallup Poll Links Recess To Academic Achievement."The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 04 Feb. 2010. http://www.rwjf.org/vulnerablepopulations/product.jsp?id=55248&c=EMC-ADV.)

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

– Frederick Douglass

Play stimulates nerve growth in the portions of the brain that process emotions.
(Shute, Nancy. 10 Reasons Play Can Make You Healthy, Happy, and More Productive. US News & World Report, 9 March 2009.)

When we play vigorously, we trigger a mix of endorphins that lift our spirits and distractions that distance us from pain, fear, and other burdens.
(DeKoven, Bernie. "Play, Creativity, and Learning: Why Play Matters for Kids and Adults." Helpguide.org: Understand, Prevent and Resolve Life's Challenges. 2010. http://www.helpguide.org/life/creative_play_fun_games.htm.)

As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges.
(Ginsburg, Kenneth R. "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds." American Academy of Pediatrics. 2007. http://www.aap.org/pressroom/playfinal.pdf.)

In studies, the anxiety levels of children who played dropped by more than twice as much as those do not.
(Wenner, Melinda. "The Serious Need for Play." Scientific American. February 2009.)

When children play in times of trauma, they're taking advantage of the most natural self-healing activity childhood offers.
(Schaefer, Charles, PhD. "Laughter, Play, and Love." FDU Magazine. Winter/Spring 2006.)

Experts believe the lack of play is contributing to a dramatic rise in anger and aggression in young children as reports of severe behavior problems increases
(Miller, Edward, and Joan Almon. "Why Children Need to Play in School." Alliance for Childhood. 2009.)

In studies, kids who received at least 15 minutes of recess every day were better behaved in school.
(Barros, Romina, MD, et al. "School Recess and Group Classroom Behavior." Pediatrics. January 2009.)

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."

– Plato

Play is essential for developing our sense of equality, connectedness, and concern for others.
(Nauert, Rick, PhD. "Leisure Play is Important for Human Collaboration." Psych Central News. 17 April 2009.)

Play builds strong family bonds and encourages open expression of feelings.
("PlayJourneys About Play Therapy." About Play Therapy. 2009. http://www.playjourneys.com/about_pt.html.)

Free play equally benefits all children, without the team pressures, physical preferences, or singling out that come with other activities.
(Bowers, Lou PhD. "The Influence of Play on a Child's Health and Fitness." GameTime Healthy Play Research. 2003. http://www.opraonline.org/pdf/bowersobesitystudy.pdf.)

The "mutual play" that we engage in as children is the basic state of friendship that sustains us throughout our lives.
(Shute, Nancy. 10 Reasons Play Can Make You Healthy, Happy, and More Productive. US News & World Report. 9 March 2009.)

Play in a diverse natural environment reduces or eliminates bullying.
(White, Randy. "Benefits for Children of Play in Nature." White Hutchinson. 8 Nov. 2008. http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/benefits.shtml.)

In a 2007 study, five-year-old children who had limited outdoor playtime exhibited poorer social, behavior, and motor skills and had fewer playmates than children not so limited.
(Zaradic, Patricia A., and Oliver R. Pergams. "Videophilia: Implications for Childhood." The Journal of Developmental Processes. 2007. http://videophilia.org/uploads/videophilia2.pdf.)

Roughhousing, or "rough-and-tumble" play, is necessary for the development of social awareness, cooperation, fairness, and altruism.
(Shute, Nancy. 10 Reasons Play Can Make You Healthy, Happy, and More Productive. US News & World Report. 9 March 2009.)

The greatest impact of rough-and-tumble play is in the social domain, facilitating, perhaps, the encoding and decoding of social signals.
(Bjorklund, David F., and Rhonda D. Brown. "Physical Play and Cognitive Development: Integrating Activity, Cognition, and Education." Child Development. 1998.)

"The true object of all human life is play."

– G.K. Chesterton

87% of parents believe play contributed to their success as adults.
("Academic Studies and Play on a Collision Course." KidSource Online. 26 August 1999. http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content5/studies.play.html.)

What do most Nobel Laureates, renowned creative artists, and successful entrepreneurs have in common? They play throughout their lives.
(Brown, Stuart L., MD and Christopher Vaughn. Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Penguin. 2009.)

Leaders of major corporations say creativity and play are the future of the US economy.
(Miller, Edward and Joan Almon. Crisis in the Kindergarten; Why Children Need to Play in School. Alliance for Childhood. 2009.)

Through play, children practice decision-making skills, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue.
(Ginsburg, Kenneth R. "The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds." American Academy of Pediatrics. 2007. http://www.aap.org/pressroom/playfinal.pdf.)

"Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for it alone is the free expression of what is in a child's soul."

– Friedrich Froebel

Play shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul.
(Brown, Stuart L., MD and Christopher Vaughn. Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Penguin. 2009.)

Nature helps children develop powers of observation and creativity and instills a sense of peace and being at one with the world.
(Crane, William. "How Nature Helps Children." Montessori Life. 2001.)

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget proposed that it is through cooperative, social play that moral reasoning develops.
(Bjorklund, David F., and Rhonda D. Brown. "Physical Play and Cognitive Development: Integrating Activity, Cognition, and Education." Child Development. 1998.)

Play is so important to optimal child development, it has been recognized by the UN High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child.
(Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Convention on the Rights of the Child. General Assembly Resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989.)

"There's no way that we can help children to learn to love and preserve this planet, if we don't give them direct experiences with the miracles and blessings of nature."

– Anita Olds

A review of studies on attitude toward the environment suggests that direct contact with nature, especially as children, is the most critical influence on later attitude toward the environment.
(Zaradic, Patricia A., and Oliver R. Pergams. "Videophilia: Implications for Childhood." The Journal of Developmental Processes. 2007. http://videophilia.org/uploads/videophilia2.pdf.)

A love of nature and a positive environmental ethic grow out of regular play in the natural world during childhood.
(White, Randy. "Benefits for Children of Play in Nature." White Hutchinson. 8 Nov. 2008. http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/benefits.shtml.)

Children's loss of regular contact with the natural world can result in a biophobic future generation not interested in preserving nature and its diversity.
(White, Randy. "Benefits for Children of Play in Nature." White Hutchinson. 8 Nov. 2008. http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/benefits.shtml.)

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