by Dr. Phyllis Books, DC
As a homeschooling family, you are in a unique position to help your children learn, and not only because your children are in a loving, supportive learning environment.
It’s because you have the flexibility to schedule playtime anytime. What an amazing advantage you have over the school system!
Play is really children’s work and a crucial part of learning. Your kids discover so much about the world and about themselves during play. Their creativity soars, they relax and allow things to be, and they laugh. During play, young (and older) minds are open to novel concepts and ideas—and this idea is not new:
“When children play, they exercise their senses, their intellect, their emotions, and their imagination—keenly and energetically. To play is to explore, to discover, and to experiment. Playing helps children develop ideas and gain experience. It gives them a wealth of knowledge and information about the world in which they live, and about themselves. So to play is also to learn. Play is fun for children. But it’s much more than that – it’s good for them, and it’s necessary. Play gives children the opportunity to develop and use the many talents they were born with.”
~Instruction sheet in Legos® 1985
Doesn’t that description from an insert in a box of Legos® say it all? Ask children what they like to do more than anything else, and the most common answer is, “To play!” It brings them great joy, and it helps them to be open to learning.
We need to be clear about the type of play we’re talking about, and it’s not the inactive play of video games and computers. While technology is valuable and has its place, certainly, we’re talking about the type of active playing we did as kids. We mean riding bikes, running and jumping, hiding and seeking, and moving earth with dump trucks and backhoes: physical play that gets children moving.
According to author Jaak Panksepp, author of Affective Neuroscience, twenty minutes of rough and tumble play (RAT) before school led to an increased utilization of dopamine in the brain. When these children had lots of natural chemicals washing through their bodies, they were able to stay on task—so allowing your kids to play through the day helps them focus and learn.
Interactive play is best, which means engaging the mind and body and combining old ideas with new ones you’ve conjured in your imagination. It means stretching your mind to invent the best car ramp or to quickly decide whether the shed or the garage is a better place to hide. In fact, play opens up all areas of the brain and allows them to interact more effectively while learning.
Unstructured play allows your children to move every part of their bodies, interact with the environment around them, problem solve, and learn social skills. Children need to learn how to learn and to be in the world. And play is terribly important for integrating the nervous system. So much knitting and blending of various parts of the brain and nervous system happen while playing and exercising. Exercise is not a luxury. The brain needs movement—a lot of movement—every day.
A note on spending time outdoors: nature has a way of bringing you back into harmony. A generation ago, kids played outside much more than they do today. If you are in a safe area, spending time outside is great therapy.
The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that you can schedule rough and tumble play outside not only at the beginning of the day, but at any time your kids need it. They can activate their imaginations any time by simply going outside to play.
Dr. Phyllis Books, DC, is a teacher, doctor, grandmother, and developer of Books Neural Therapy™, a natural, non-drug intervention for children with dyslexia and other learning and behavior issues. Her clients call her a combination of a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, and Mother Teresa. Mostly, she loves sharing what she’s learned about kids, how they learn, and how they can feel good about themselves and be successful. Support@ReversingDyslexia.com (512) 560-7888, drphyllisbooks.com and reversingdyslexia.com.
As a homeschooling family, you are in a unique position to help your children learn, and not only because your children are in a loving, supportive learning environment.
It’s because you have the flexibility to schedule playtime anytime. What an amazing advantage you have over the school system!
Play is really children’s work and a crucial part of learning. Your kids discover so much about the world and about themselves during play. Their creativity soars, they relax and allow things to be, and they laugh. During play, young (and older) minds are open to novel concepts and ideas—and this idea is not new:
“When children play, they exercise their senses, their intellect, their emotions, and their imagination—keenly and energetically. To play is to explore, to discover, and to experiment. Playing helps children develop ideas and gain experience. It gives them a wealth of knowledge and information about the world in which they live, and about themselves. So to play is also to learn. Play is fun for children. But it’s much more than that – it’s good for them, and it’s necessary. Play gives children the opportunity to develop and use the many talents they were born with.”
~Instruction sheet in Legos® 1985
Doesn’t that description from an insert in a box of Legos® say it all? Ask children what they like to do more than anything else, and the most common answer is, “To play!” It brings them great joy, and it helps them to be open to learning.
We need to be clear about the type of play we’re talking about, and it’s not the inactive play of video games and computers. While technology is valuable and has its place, certainly, we’re talking about the type of active playing we did as kids. We mean riding bikes, running and jumping, hiding and seeking, and moving earth with dump trucks and backhoes: physical play that gets children moving.
According to author Jaak Panksepp, author of Affective Neuroscience, twenty minutes of rough and tumble play (RAT) before school led to an increased utilization of dopamine in the brain. When these children had lots of natural chemicals washing through their bodies, they were able to stay on task—so allowing your kids to play through the day helps them focus and learn.
Interactive play is best, which means engaging the mind and body and combining old ideas with new ones you’ve conjured in your imagination. It means stretching your mind to invent the best car ramp or to quickly decide whether the shed or the garage is a better place to hide. In fact, play opens up all areas of the brain and allows them to interact more effectively while learning.
Unstructured play allows your children to move every part of their bodies, interact with the environment around them, problem solve, and learn social skills. Children need to learn how to learn and to be in the world. And play is terribly important for integrating the nervous system. So much knitting and blending of various parts of the brain and nervous system happen while playing and exercising. Exercise is not a luxury. The brain needs movement—a lot of movement—every day.
A note on spending time outdoors: nature has a way of bringing you back into harmony. A generation ago, kids played outside much more than they do today. If you are in a safe area, spending time outside is great therapy.
The wonderful thing about homeschooling is that you can schedule rough and tumble play outside not only at the beginning of the day, but at any time your kids need it. They can activate their imaginations any time by simply going outside to play.
Dr. Phyllis Books, DC, is a teacher, doctor, grandmother, and developer of Books Neural Therapy™, a natural, non-drug intervention for children with dyslexia and other learning and behavior issues. Her clients call her a combination of a neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, and Mother Teresa. Mostly, she loves sharing what she’s learned about kids, how they learn, and how they can feel good about themselves and be successful. Support@ReversingDyslexia.com (512) 560-7888, drphyllisbooks.com and reversingdyslexia.com.
