Playful and Creative Books – John Cleese

Posted on January 26, 2021January 26, 2021 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

From the wonderful Monty Python and John Cleese: https://twitter.com/JohnCleese/status/1353764231288561664/photo/1

John Cleese – On Creativity

I think it would be very difficult for anybody to dispute that John Cleese is both playful and creative. Co-founder of Monty Python, scriptwriter on The Frost Report, co-writer of Fawlty Towers and writer of “A fish called Wanda” and “Fierce Creatures”.

If anybody is well-placed to write a book about creativity it’s John Cleese.

Now, I’m obviously not going to give away all the guidance John gives in this, as it says on the cover, “short and cheerful guide”, because its a new book, and if I tell you all the answers then you won’t go and buy it!

Suffice it to say, that he’s got some excellent advice and I recommend buying Creativity, by John Cleese. It’s also well worth following his irreverence on Twitter.

Play made easy – The Observation Game

Posted on January 20, 2021 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

Playing games is a good thing. It brings people closer together, opens up observation and creativity and is a brilliant vehicle for our brains to engage with something (in short, you learn stuff without even realising!)

We’re not just talking about playing board games here. We’re talking about any kind of game. Games don’t have to involve dice and plastic counters, be packaged and sold. In fact, often it’s the simplest games that are easiest to slot into a busy day: Letter and word games while you’re waiting for a bus, observation games, tracking games and so on.

My daughter and I have recently started playing a new easy game to improve our observation skills.

It’s really a meld of the amazing effects of Sherlock Holmes and thinking about some of the intentions of Baden-Powell when he started the Scouts – he placed great stock in the skills of observation and suggests some great activities and games in “Scouting for Boys”.

How this easy game works

While out for a walk (or in the car, though it’s much harder when you’re supposed to be concentrating on the road), we set ourselves a target. “Two questions by the junction with the tree.”
As we walk that stretch of road, we observe very hard. We need to come up with two questions to ask our partner, but they will also be asking us two questions!
At the end of the stretch, we ask our questions:

What were the numbers on the green exchange box?
What colour was the front door of number 14?
The man with the little girl was carrying a bag, what did it have written on it?
What was hanging in the window of the house with the Mercedes on the drive?

It’s a lot of fun and gets us taking more notice of our surroundings.

A Playful Year – How to Be More Playful in 2021

Posted on January 4, 2021 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

You may ask how, at this time, we can talk about playfulness.

I would argue that now is when we need playfulness more than ever.

Play in a time of trial

2020 has been a hard year and here in the UK it looks as though the beginning of 2021, with covid19 still rife, things are not going back to normal very quickly.

A glance at social media is enough to show just how much fear there is out there. People are worried for their livelihoods, worried for their health and their loved ones. Everybody is fed up of staying in and missing normal social interaction. There are grandparents who’ve never yet held grandchildren, and families who are worried they may not get to hug an elderly relative before it’s too late.

You may ask how, at this time, we can talk about playfulness.

I would argue that now is when we need playfulness more than ever.

How to be more playful in 2021

Playfulness is about finding the joy in the everyday. It’s about allowing creativity to flourish and its about making life more fun for everybody around you.

If it makes you smile – go for it!

If something makes you smile, embrace it. That pink metal flamingo that makes you smile every time you see it on the market stall? Buy it, put it in your garden. It will make you smile every time you look out the window. If you love that purple top or those rainbow knickers – wear them! As the Wiccans say “An it harm none, do what ye will.” Provided what makes you smile doesn’t cause any harm or problem to anybody – go for it! If you love chocolate, even if your other New Year resolution is to be healthy – buy a really high quality chocolate and have a little nibble. The happiness you get from it will more than compensate a few extra calories. Where possible – follow your whims!

Make contact with people

You can absolutely be playful on your own, but humans are social animals. Make plans that involve being playful with others, even if that involves video calls rather than face-to-face interaction. Set up an online Escape Room or online game or quiz that you can do together. Create a funny family video to send to family. Make plans for the family holiday, get-together or party that you will enjoy when Covid releases its grip on the world.

Work Playfully

Working looks very different for different people – housework, studying, voluntary work, factory work, outdoor work, office work, management, shop work – you name it, we do it. Let’s make our working lives more playful and enjoyable. Whether that’s by singing (think of sea shanties), by incorporating something light-hearted (we all know somebody who likes to wear a different silly hat to each Zoom meeting), by gamifying our work (rewards and “levels”) or by encouraging more creativity in the workplace. We can make our working lives both more productive and more pleasurable by injecting a little playfulness.

Be creative

Creativity is the key to playfulness and I don’t just mean crafting, writing poetry or painting. Creativity is the use of the imagination and fresh ideas. It can be applied to the dog walk or your daily jog – find a new route, listen to new music, allow yourself a little role-play (you’re a detective looking for clues!). If you’re writing something – rather than just doing it on the computer – can you print it out and draw your own border? We are all very quick to look for things on the internet, to download clipart – we seem to have forgotten the simple pleasure of drawing things ourselves! With cheap fashion, we forget the creative joy that comes with up-cycling or making it ourselves. Let’s make 2021 a more creative year! (On my other blog “Ink Spots and Grass Stains“, I’m going to be charting my creative efforts for 2021.)

Adventure

Most of us didn’t get many opportunities for adventures in 2020. There was a lot of staying at home to do. Adventure is naturally playful. It takes you out of the ordinary and unlocks your spirit of fun and creativity, problem solving and ingenuity. Adventures don’t have to be high-adrenaline activities (though they can be, and we can’t wait to go coasteering this year!), but can just be doing something different. In our family we revel in the “mini-adventure”. These usually involve Rosie the campervan, but aren’t necessarily camping trips. They usually involve going somewhere new. They may involve a walk or a bike-ride, they may involve a theme park or zoo, they may involve a picnic or a cafe. A mini-adventure could be a train trip to a nearby town, or a ride on a bus to “see where it goes”. Embrace the mini-adventure!

Play games

Games don’t have to involve plastic counters and dice. Playing games makes you feel good, it involves interacting with other people, it unlocks feel-good hormones and can improve brain power. Whether it’s a weekly game of scrabble, a word-game while you wait in line or an observation game with your children – try to get more games into your life. We’ll be adding lots of different games you can play on this site as the year goes by, so watch out for those.

Be more playful

So what will you be doing this year to be more playful?

8 books about play

Posted on October 31, 2020October 31, 2020 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

If you’re reading this blog, this suggests that you believe in the power of play to make the world a better place, to develop children and adults into happier and more productive people.

This isn’t a new concept and some eminent authors, psychologists, philosophers and educators have written books about the importance of play. They are a great place to get ideas on how to incorporate more play in your teaching, in your parenting or in your life in general, as well as to find evidence to convince any sceptics out there.

In the interests of transparency, please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that, with no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. I will only recommend products that I believe are worth buying, not because of the links – they are just a helpful way for me to earn a little extra cash.

“Playful Teaching and Learning” 2017 – by Glenda Walsh, Dorothy McMillan and Carol McGuinness

This textbook for early years practitioners explores how important play is throughout the early years setting, focusing on ages 3-8. Playfulness can and should be applied to all aspects of the early-years curriculum to captivate and maintain the interest of young children in their setting.

Available in paperback and in Kindle

“Playful Parenting” – by Lawrence J Cohen

Lawrence Cohen is a celebrated psychologist and he describes this book as “An exciting new approach to raising children that will help you: nurture close connections, solve behavior problems and encourage confidence.” He points out that by playing with our children we join them in their world.

Available in Paperback and Kindle edition

The Idle Parent – by Tom Hodgkinson

I adore this book, and I think it’s probably what got me started on the realm of the Playful Manifesto.

Tom’s key suggestion is that children do a lot better when they aren’t being constantly coddled and carted from place to place. When they have freedom to just… play, which frees up you, the parent to stop nagging them and join in with the play.

Available in paperback and on Kindle

“Playful Parenting – Fun Games and Activities for Families” – by Judy H Wright

This fabulous book from parent educator, Judy Helm Wright (Auntie Artichoke), has lots of practical ideas to bring a more playful approach to your family.

Available on Kindle

“Homo Ludens” by Johan Huizinga

In this famous study of play across many cultures, Johan Huizinga defines play as a central feature of all flourishing societies. He talks about play in terms of law, language, poetry and myth and describes (starting with Plato) how play has defined the contribution of Man.

Available as paperback and Kindle

Exuberance: The Passion for Life – by Kay Redfield Jamison

A Clinical Psychologist, Kay Redfield Jamison makes the link between child’s play and scientific breakthrough and talks about how this playfulness, which she describes as “exuberance” is critical in developing learning, social cohesiveness and survival.

Available on Kindle:

“Hop, Skip, Jump: 75 Ways to Playfully Manifest a Meaningful Life” by Marney K. Makridakis

Marney Makridakis explains how work and play can be blended to bring you happy success. She suggests three phases: dreaming (hop), experimenting (skip) and taking action (jump) and describes how we can discover our “play personality” to make work feel more like play.

Available in Paperback or Kindle Edition

“Wonderland – how play made the modern world” Steven Johnson

In this book, Steven Johnson explains how playful creativity is the mother of invention and led to the development of a host of products and devices that we just couldn’t do without. From flutes made of bone to computers and the internet. Never dull, he gives practical reasons to back up the concept that we need play to develop new ideas.

Available in hardback: And kindle edition:

Computer Play for children

Posted on September 26, 2020September 26, 2020 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

Recently I wrote about different types of play. When I got to Computer Play I realised that I had opened a complete can of worms!

This is a very controversial area.

As far as I can see, its all about balance. There are some potential problems to watch out for:

computer games can be very addictive. It’s difficult to get off that screen once you’re on it.
Some computer games revel in violence.
despite the chat functions, gaming is often a solo pursuit.
While you may think your child is safe in their room, computer game chat rooms are the perfect haunt for unsavoury characters looking for vulnerable children.
Lots of other children are playing, yours may feel they are missing out.

Here are some guidelines:

Everything in moderation. We want our children to be able to make healthy choices in their lives, so it’s important that they get a good balance of outdoor, physical, creative and exploratory and social play as well as screen time. There is no recommended limit on screen time in the UK, but the American Society of Paediatrics recommends no screen time at all up to 18 months, and then a maximum of 1 hour per day up to the age of 5. Tell them the time limit before they start playing, and then give them 5 minutes warning before the time is up.
Use the age ratings on games to ensure that the game is suitable for your child. It’s tricky if their friend is playing a game that you don’t approve of, but talking to your child about why you don’t think it’s okay will help them understand.
Play with your children when you can. The computer game is a perfect babysitter, your child is sitting still and you can get on with something else. However, they may get more out of it (and also take your time limits and guidance with more credence) if you occasionally play with them. They get to teach you how to do things, they can show you and tell you what they enjoy about the game and you build a relationship.
Talk to them about e-safety, the importance of not giving away any personal information in a chat-room, coming and telling you if they are worried about anything etc. There are some great resources on ThinkuKnow to support this learning.
You should always know when your child is online or playing a computer game, and you should always be able to look over their shoulder and see what they are playing and what they are doing. Hiding their computer game playing is a warning flag and you should talk to them. It either means that they are playing when you haven’t agreed it (going over the agreed time limits), they are playing something that you wouldn’t approve of, or they are chatting in a way you wouldn’t be happy with.

Different types of play

Posted on September 6, 2020September 26, 2020 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

If you look up different types of play, you will almost certainly find the six stages of play development in pre-schoolers suggested by the research of Mildred Parten in 1932. Parten suggested that children move through stages of: unoccupied play, solitary independent play and onlooker play, to parallel play, associative play and then cooperative play. You can find out more about this here on Purewow.

For older children though, it’s worth bearing in mind that being playful comes in lots of different guises. Some children may develop a preference for one type of play over another, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but for a well-rounded child, it’s a good idea to encourage participation in a good balance of different types of play.

Below, I’ve summarised some of the different forms of play you will come across.

Physical Play

Playing on the swings, running races, monkey bars, tag, gymnastics in the sitting room, wrestling, spinning, skipping, football and badminton. Your child may engage in physical play independently or with others. When they engage in this play they aren’t doing it to “get fit” or “be active”, they are doing it because they enjoy it. Sometimes they may initiate an element of competition, but that isn’t the most important thing in the play.

Creative play

Any play where the child is able to use their imagination to make something or to create a world in their head can be termed creative play. This includes the worlds they can create with building blocks, Lego, dolls houses and playmobil as well as drawing, painting, playdough, crafts and story-writing. Sometimes they may be following instructions or building a kit, at other times they may be creating more freely from their own imagination.

Role play

Role play is a really important way for your child to make sense of the world around them. From “feeding baby” with a doll, to a complex game of “cops and robbers” or “mums and dads” as they start school. Role play can be inspired by a story, or by providing a few props. A basket of generic dressing-up items – you don’t have to buy ready-made costumes, which are limited to one character – a beard, a few hats, a toy stethoscope and a hand-bag from the charity shop, can be put to a very wider range of uses. In their free time on the playground children still happily engage in role-play games right through Primary school, and after that, this is often developed through drama, plays or role-play games like Dungeons and Dragons.

Exploratory play

Exploratory play is where a child chooses to use their senses to explore the world around them. This may be just sitting and scrunching leaves, or it may be peering through a telescope at the moon. Making mud-pies, grabbing your own toes, squelching slime, pouring water from one container to another, playing with the door stop, cooking, and building sand-castles. All involve exploring different materials.

word play

As they develop more facility with language, children add word play to their repertoire. To begin with they will enjoy playing with rhyming or alliterative sounds, coming up with rhyming words, learning nursery rhymes and short poems etc. Later they may enjoy finding out new words, creating acrostic poetry or acronyms, doing word-searches and finding and sharing puns or jokes which play on words.

social play

Technically this isn’t a type of play. It’s just one of the ways play happens. This is a natural progression. By the time they reach Primary School, most children are happy to play cooperatively with other children as well as playing on their own. The social skills involved in negotiating a shared game, establishing rules, sharing props, solving conflicts and communicating, or of being gracious both in defeat and victory are all part of the learning curve on the way to adulthood and this type of play is vital in developing them.

computer play

There’s a lot of controversy about computer games and screen time for children.

There are a wide variety of computer games for children. Some encourage coding, building and creating online (LegoWorld, Minecraft and Roblox), others involve a fantasy world where you collect things and solve problems, and others just involve a bit of in-computer role play – the hair salon or the vets.

We live in an age of technology and games have been designed that are fun, beautiful and inspiring (as well as some rubbish, just like anything else!).

We should approach computer play like any other type of play, and ensure that our children are playing on the right game, with the right people, and getting a healthy balance. I’ll be writing more about this at a later date.

Number play

Sadly, many adults have negative ideas about numbers and maths. Be open to the idea of playing with numbers. Children love to be able to count – counting steps, counting food, counting money; measure – for cooking etc. and to find and repeat patterns. All these are great for developing maths skills but are also intrinsically fun – watch the delight a child can have playing with and sorting a big tub of buttons! This kind of play includes board games – matching numbers to symbols on the dice and moving the corresponding number of spaces; dominoes; darts; counting games; there are some great times tables games on the computer; card games etc.

Musical Play

There’s always that irritating uncle whose idea of a joke is to get your child the noisiest toy in the shop. The joke’s on them because while you hope that your child won’t strike up the band at six in the morning, playing that recorder or that tambourine is helping them develop their rhythm. Opt for child versions of percussion toys or small “real” instruments rather than electronic noise toys. Make a band together and play along gleefully (if tunelessly) to your favourite songs on the radio while parading around the kitchen.

Bringing it all together

You can probably visualise your child engaging in some of these different types of play and you will probably have a good idea of their preferences. The thing to remember is that each of these different types of play is important for child development. Make space for a good balance of lots of different types of play in your child’s life or in your child-care setting. Encourage children to try different types of play (the best way to do this is always to start playing yourself – they will soon want to come and join you!).

A good mix of types of play will lead to a good mix of fun!

Why Play is important – a look at the facts

Posted on September 3, 2020September 3, 2020 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

You may have heard me mention that play is important. It’s important for child development, but it has many benefits for adults too.

Despite knowing the benefits, statistics show that the amount of time set aside for play has been declining for decades. All adults out at work mean family time is tighter and more scheduled and structured. Parents are more fearful about allowing their children to play outside or unsupervised and the power of the screen is pulling children and adults away from creative, imaginative or physical play.

Improve brain function

The mental activity involved in playing games such as chess, bridge or cards, doing puzzles and jigsaws keep the brain active and help to ward off memory problems.

Learn more

We learn best when we are having fun. If you are in a relaxed and playful mood your brain is more receptive to new ideas and building connections.

Relieve stress

Play can trigger the release of natural body chemicals called endorphins. These make you feel good. Playing with family and friends provides a social network that can ward off stress and depression.

Boost creativity

Play relies on imagination. Imagination is what helps us to “think outside the box” to be creative and to solve problems.

Improve relationships

Having fun together develops empathy, compassion and trust. Being playful can help you as you approach new situations, meet strangers and foster new business relationships.

Develop Social Skills

Children learn social skills as part of the give and take of play. From learning that snatching a toy from another child makes them sad to feeling how cooperative play is more fun than solo. They learn verbal and non-verbal communication, boundaries, cooperation and teamwork.

Decision making

When we choose how to play we practice decision making skills and discover our own areas of interest.

Active and healthy

While there are many benefits to playing computer games, they are highly addictive. Active play, on the other hand, helps to build healthy bodies, increasing physical activity.

I really like the infographic on thegeniusofplay.org, which shows some of the facts and stats about why play is important, and tells you the study or work that provided the information.

The Art of Slapstick and Physical Comedy and its relevance today

Posted on August 23, 2020September 3, 2020 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

What are slapstick and physical comedy?

From the Ancient Greeks to the Middle Ages when every noble house had its fool or jester; from Charlie Chaplin in the silent movies right through to programmes like “Total Wipeout” or “You’ve been framed”; humans have laughed at physical comedy and slapstick. Many of our most popular cartoons are also based on slapstick, from Tom and Jerry to the Wily Coyote. So what are slapstick and physical comedy, what are the differences? Why do we laugh at it – and should we?

Physical comedy has a wider definition than slapstick. Physical comedy involves the manipulation of the body or face for comic effect, rather than through the use of words. This can include slapstick, mime, stunts, funny faces and clowning. Slapstick, then, is a distinct type of physical comedy. Slapstick revolves around fake and exaggerated violence and dramatic buffoonery involving improbable situations, or ordinary situations that go wrong (usually resulting in pain).

Both are considered “low comedy” as oppose to the “high comedy” that takes advantage of sophisticated dialogue through wit and satire. Research by medical anthropologist Ann Hale (University of Sydney) suggests that the humour involved in physical comedy is actually deep-seated and that even babies under the age of 1 can find humour in their parent doing something unusual – whether that’s peek-a-boo or mum crawling into the room instead of walking.

Great physical comedians in present day

These people use their whole bodies for comic effect. If you find yourself laughing at something when there’s no dialogue, that’s physical comedy:

David Schwimmer (plays Ross Geller in Friends) – if you’re not sure what I’m talking about, rewatch the scene with the leather pants.
Michael McIntyre. This sketch is magnificent.
Rowan Atkinson. This video explains his fabulous physical comedy skills.
John Cleese – here with The Ministry of Silly Walks
Jim Carey – here with his many faces (also very good at falling over)
Mike Meyers – here are some great moments.

Isn’t laughing at slapstick cruel?

When you watch a group of children sitting at a puppet show laughing at a man puppet beating his wife puppet and a police puppet beating somebody over the head with a truncheon, you have to ask if this is right. When we watch TV programmes centred on people falling off things, falling over, or accidentally hurting themselves… is this comedy or cruelty? In many slapstick routines or comedies based on this, there is a “fool” character – Mr Bean, the 3 Stooges, the side-kick criminal in Home Alone, Dumb and Dumber. Are we laughing at the misfortune of somebody who isn’t that clever?

I personally think that we should treat this pretty carefully. I love physical comedy – see my list of top physical comedians below – and I love to laugh at people using their bodies in an amusing and artful way. I’ve also got to be honest and own up to finding some gratuitous violence pretty entertaining too (I love the Die Hard movies). However, I do think we should be careful when we laugh at people getting hurt or hurting one another, or when we laugh at “the fool” who is the brunt of all the pain. It’s a slippery slope.

The danger is that if we are amused by people hurting themselves – for example in “You’ve been Framed” – we may find ourselves laughing at the person who falls over on the ice, instead of rushing over to help them up and checking they are okay.

How can we make physical comedy part of our playful lives?

To start with, take an ordinary task. Making scrambled eggs for example. Imagine all the things that could go wrong with this task: you can’t get the fridge door open, you drop the pan on your foot, you drop the egg and it makes a mess everywhere. To create a funny sketch: take one of these imaginary problems and pretend that’s what’s happened. Take the fridge door not opening: (a great example here from Friends). It’s not just having the problem though – it’s how you react to it and what you do.

Pick your moment though. A bit of physical comedy every now and then is hilarious, takes us out of the humdrum of everyday life and makes us laugh. Somebody hamming up every single task all day long would become pretty annoying. Gauge the reaction of your audience.

Podcasts about Play

Posted on August 13, 2020September 3, 2020 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

As I’m exploring more about the benefits of play I am discovering so much out there – there’s a whole world of play to discover! Here is a run-down of a few podcasts about play that I can’t wait to listen to:

“Fearlessly Playful” by Dr Kate Raynes-Goldie

A podcast featuring conversations with people changing their lives with the power of play. Kate Raynes-Goldie travels the world helping organisations

“The Playful Pivot”

Three short podcasts about how play can help you live the life you want.

“Playful Intelligence” with Dr Anthony DeBenedet

Author of “Playful Intelligence: the Power of Living Lightly in a Serious World” explains how playfulness can counteract the seriousness of everyday life.

Rabya Lomas on prioritising creativity and playful living.

Rabya Lomas is best known for the amazing and beautiful playful images on her instagram account.

The Abundant Mama – a fun reminder to add playfulness to every day.

Tanis Frame talks about “thriving” – but to thrive, we need to be playful.

National Play Day 2020

Posted on August 5, 2020September 3, 2020 by theplayfulway_v3ra6n

National Play Day 2020

Every year on the 1st August in National Play Day. A day when organisations, children and families get out to play at hundreds of community events across the UK. It’s a celebration of play and a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of play in children’s lives.

Playday.org.uk

This year Play Day is different. Normally the campaign co-ordinates hundreds of events, getting children together to play in communities everywhere. Due to current government guidance about social gatherings and distancing because of the Covid crisis, they are asking people not to organise public Playday 2020 events. Instead, the emphasis is on encouraging families to play at home.

Where did Playday come from?

Playday started in 1986. A group of playworkers were concerned about cuts and closures of play centres in London. They decided to have a day for play to raise the profile of these issues. By 1981 this was a national event and last year there were more than 850 events across the UK celebrating playday and highlighting the importance of play. It’s now coordinated by Play England, in partnership with Play Wales, Play Scotland and PlayBoard Northern Ireland.

What can you do for playday?

Events can be as small as a group of friends, a school or a playgroup getting the children together for a day of play, imagination and creativity in a hall, woods or park, or as large as a massive organised festival or street party.

This year for Playday, there are two things you can do:

Play @ Home

Here are some ideas to get them off those screens to celebrate play day today:

dressing up and role-play – stimulates empathy, development of emotional literacy and language skills. Whether you set up a vet surgery for the soft toys, a mud kitchen restaurant, a “cops and robbers” scenario or play schools.
card or board games
running around games – remember hide and seek, sardines, tag?
building – whether you are building a townscape with wooden blocks, turning cardboard boxes into a train, car, doll-house or city, using Lego or modelling, you will be developing imagination, creativity and story-making skills.
simple games – marbles, jacks, tic-tac-toe, battleships, hopscotch, bottle bowling.
outdoor games – football, french cricket, “Robin Hood”.

There are some amazing ideas on:

The Genius of Play

Campaign

Use social media as a power for good. Raise awareness of the importance of play. It’s fundamental for children’s health, development and happiness. Post ideas of ways you can play. Share images of you and your children enjoying play. Use #playday2020.

I’d love to hear what you do to celebrate Playday today. Please do comment below and share your play.