I'm reading an interesting book called Play, which is all about how playful behavior is helpful for development throughout childhood and into our adult years as well. The author, Stuart Brown, M.D., gives a few examples of how play is beneficial - it helps us "practice" for the real world, it allows the brain to begin to make sense of itself and find out what works and what doesn't, and allows us to build emotional intelligence and social skills. A somewhat stuffy definition for play is provided, but the author admits that a "few slides of kids playing hopscotch, or a cat playing with a string, or dogs playing fetch, creates more recognition and understanding than all the statistical analysis in the world." In other words, we know "play" when we see it.
Eight different "play personalities" are provided as follows:
1. The Joker - Play revolves around nonsense and the focus is on making other people laugh.
2. The Kinesthete - Play revolves around being on the move - athletes, dancers, and those who naturally want to push their bodies.
3. The Explorer - Play revolves around experiencing new places, feelings, or experiences.
4. The Competitor - Play revolves around a competitive game with rules, and playing is about winning.
5. The Director - Play revolves around planning and executing scenes and events, such as the party giver.
6. The Collector - Play revolves around accumulating objects or experiences.
7. The Artist/Creator - Play revolves around making things, whether they be artistic or functional.
8. The Storyteller - Play revolves around telling, reading, or watching great imaginative stories.
Like all attempts to categorize people, I usually feel that there are many times and many different situations in which each of us can show different sides of our very complex personalities. Nevertheless, there are times when certain people have strong tendencies. My wife, for example, single-handedly planned a huge Memorial Day picnic at the park, with over 20 people showing up. She loves being "The Director". You can't paint her in the corner, though, as she is currently working on a novel, and loves to play "The Storyteller". As for me, I was a huge Collector as a kid, and had to compete in whatever I did, but now I am not really either of those types, and am more "The Explorer" and "The Creator".
How about you? What type of play personalities do you tend to have? Complete the poll to the right!
This is a great post. I have found much of my childrens personalities revealed through the way they play.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Todd - I, too, have learned much about my kids and myself by playing with them. I also learned that legos are still a ton of fun in your 30's!
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