Patterns and Play

Attunement play

When an infant makes eye contact with its parent, each experiences a spontaneous surge of emotion (joy). The baby responds with a radiant smile; the parent with his or her own smile and rhythmic vocalizations (baby talk).

Body play and movement

Learning about self-movement structures an individual’s knowledge of the world—it is a way of knowing, and we actually, through movement and play, think in motion. For example, the play-driven movement of leaping upward is a lesson about gravity as well as one’s body. And it lights up the brain and fosters learning. Innovation, flexibility, adaptability, and resilience have their roots in movement.

Object play

Along with other special patterns of play, the curiosity about and playing with “objects” is a pervasive innately fun pattern of play, and creates its own “states” of playfulness. Early on, toys take on highly personalized characteristics, and as skills in manipulating objects (i.e., banging on pans, skipping rocks, etc.) develop, the circuits in the brain become richer. Hands playing with all types of objects help brains develop beyond strictly manipulative skills, with play as the driver of this development.

Social play

From the simplest romp and wrestling of young animals to the most jocular and complex banter of close friends, social play is a key aspect of play behavior.

The subsets of social play

Play and belonging

The urge to play with others, in addition to being fun, is often driven by the desire to be accepted, to belong. Kids start this process by “parallel” play, i.e., without much consciousness of the feelings or status of the play partner. But as development proceeds, friendships happen, empathy for another is felt, with mutual play as the crucible in which it becomes refined. Group loyalty and affection ensues, and with it the rudiments of a functioning community.

Rough-and-tumble play

The importance of rough-and-tumble play in animals and humans has been shown to be necessary for the development and maintenance of social awareness, cooperation, fairness, and altruism. The nature and importance of rough-and-tumble play are generally unappreciated, particularly by early (preschool) teachers, who often see normal rough and tumble play behavior such as hitting, diving, wrestling, (all done with a smile, between friends who stay friends), not as a state of play, but one of anarchy that must be controlled.

Celebratory play

Like other patterns of social play, this expression is as close as the nearest birthday party, theme park, sports stadium, or rock concert. Few doubt the power of celebratory play, if they have experienced it as part of a large gathering such as Red Sox fans at the moment the Sox won the World Series or the 35,000 celebrants at the annual Burning Man Festival in Black Rock, Nevada. Even a shopping mall can be a source of social celebratory play.

Imaginative and pretend play

The ability of young children to create their own senses of their minds, and those of others, takes place through pretend play, which continues to nourish the spirit throughout life, and remains key to innovation and creativity. Deprivation studies uphold the importance of this pattern of play, as understanding and trusting others and developing coping skills depends on the presence of pretend play.

Transformative—Integrative and creative play

We can access fantasy-play to transcend the reality of our ordinary lives, and in the process germinate new ideas, and shape and re-shape them. Given enriched circumstances, and access to novelty, our play drive takes us into these realms spontaneously. Whether imaginatively riding pleasurably on a sunbeam at the speed of light (like Einstein) or wildly imagining a new product (like a high-hearted group of Google designers), each group is using their playfulness to innovate and create.

Storytelling—Narrative play

Storytelling, the way most kids love to learn, is, when under the play microscope, identified as the unit of human intelligibility. Making sense of the world, its parts, and one’s particular place in it is a central aspect of early development. And as we grow, the constancy of stories that enliven and help us understand ourselves and others, from parents telling how it was when they were young to media-driven stories such as Big Bird’s rants to Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon yarns, involve us in a never-ending fun-giving experience.