An Introduction To Play - play and creativity

When we are asked to recall some of our fondest childhood memories involving play, the answers that Dyfodol Powys Futures workforce development officer, Louise Bell, hears in response time and time again, are never too dissimilar from one another. Whether it’s climbing trees, making secret hideouts or creating our own fairy tales, there are certain elements that are important to the nature of play which will contribute to our development as adults.A quick group task involving a lot of loo roll and wrapping ended up with one Iain and one Beth looking a little mummified shall we say. However this amusing task presented itself with a rather important message; when we are wrapped up in cotton wool (or loo roll in our case) it restricts us from continuing with our everyday life. How can we expect children to grow and develop if they are constantly wrapped in a tight blanket of security?

The nature of play relies on two primary principles . The first is that all children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well-being of individuals and communities. The second is that play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas and interests, in their own way for their own reasons. The elements involved in encouraging successful play include:

D evelopement R isk I ntervention V itality E xperience S afety

The question for us now is how we can link this training into our teaching approach within Powys Dance? How can we combine the freedom inherent within the nature of play along with the structure and learning outcomes that, as practitioners, we so often have to adhere to. Is it a matter of approaching creative tasks as a matter of play? After all...

And to finish, here’s a short heart-warming video which (unintentionally) is a great example of play. Can you spot any of the principles mentioned previously that are demonstrated within the video?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnbhLwNUQ-Y]

For more information on Dyfodol Powys Futures please visit http://www.dyfodol-powys-futures.org.uk/