Why is Play Important?

When was the last time you played?

The last time you jumped in a puddle, swung on a swing, or kicked a ball?

The last time you were so immersed in an activity that you had no time to wonder what was for dinner later, or what chores you had to do tomorrow?

If you are an adult, it may be years since the last time you truly played.

That you decided to choose a movement, purely for pleasure. Not to change your body, not to get stronger, not because you felt guilty for staying home on the couch.

So, why is play important, and why should you incorporate playful movement into your life?

Benefits of play

There are many benefits to adding playful movement into our lives:

• It relieves stress. Play can release endorphins, our feel-good chemicals that can help with stress reduction.
• It helps us be creative. Playful movement allows us to choose movement practices we may have never chosen before! This can be a great creative outlet.
• It helps with energy. Playful movement can allow us to use our cardiovascular and muscular systems, improving energy throughout our bodies.
• It allows us to connect. Playful movement can be a re-connection to ourselves. Choosing activities you may have done as a child can reconnect you to your younger self. Finding new activities to enjoy through play and curiosity can connect you to new, different sides of yourself.

How can you add playful movement into your life? Here are some tips!

• Try an activity you used to love as a child that you haven’t done in years.
• Ask yourself: how would I move if the outcome didn’t matter? Pondering this question may spark ideas of activities you don’t do because you deem them as “too easy”, or “they don’t work up a sweat”.
• Find local classes you haven’t tried that spark your interest.
• Take a moment and move your body without thinking. What does it naturally do? Keep doing it without overthinking if it “counts”.

Has this post made you rethink your movement practice? Feel free to comment below any new playful movement practices you end up trying! Or your own tips for adding playful movement into your daily life!