Using play in education is not a new concept but now workplaces are getting in on the FUNdamentals. There are even enlightened employers who really value the wellbeing of their staff and recognise when staff need more than a nice morning tea (full of guilt making food choices). They recognise their staff need a chance to re energise, realise old strengths, enjoy a laugh and shared challenge and play with colleagues in a safe facilitated environment.
And then there is a less informed outlook on play a lacking of knowledge or awareness and an unsophisticated view of play in education and the workplace that play is something that primary aged kids do.
It is only with the booming technology wizards, the App developers and the business savvy, that people have opened their eyes and seen play as a vehicle to engage and educate, teach and train all age groups, and to also increase profit, reduce sick days and boost wellbeing and sense of belonging to a community.
We are often involved with primary, secondary and tertiary students and educators. They have won grants to work with us because our ‘play’ works.
Artificial social barriers are broken during play. We don’t care so much that he or she is different, we care that they share our goal or outcome, we care that they value the rules, fairness and honesty, like us and we share laughter and are able to see others make mistakes or flourish, like us! When we play, there is less sense of “The Other’ and more sense of ‘Us.’
Our conversations about play have been unhealthy. We have implied that a healthy, playful and creative individual who is socially well adjusted, should stop playing and creating games in the school yard once they reach 12 years old. Once students leave primary school and begin secondary school the signals we give them are that physical and imaginative play is now over, it is somehow confined to a childish state that they have left and now comes learning and sport and competition or something equally marketable and of extrinsic value.
We can’t fairly complain that our kids are less socially engaged when we sneer at one of the vital elements of social conditioning. We worry that our kids dive onto computers to play for hours at a time and stay awake all hours but we also worry if they are not ‘fitting in’ at school. We have made being at play in the school yard a childish thing and so, our children stand morosely or wander in packs, all trying to fit in and look “cool” perhaps immersing themselves in playing on their phones, alone. Bullying is what happens when we rob people of play. If we adults look down at playful exploration and imaginative games then our teens will certainly follow suit in a rush to appear more adult. They in turn will look down and sneer at the ‘players’ and sneering is not the worst they will do.
Our clients have had amazing successes with play at work in their teams. We have clients who prefer we did not use their company names because unless you have experienced a corporate play session, the conversations and social networking, the disclosure that pulls a team closer or the banter that dispels conflict and gives rise to new ideas- the chances are you would consider it a waste of time, money and effort, something just for kids. Really?
In Conclusion
The Playworks® Oz team has worked with all demographics. We used to run high and low rope activities, ravine crossing, perceived risk activities etc. There is a place in team work for all of those expensive, cold and often Alpha Male oriented experiences. We believe though( and there is significant research to back this) that “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” Victor Borge and that through FUN we can really have Functional Understanding in a Natural way.
