The Playful Life

Do you find yourself wanting more out of life? It’s time to bring play to your every day Play is not just for kids! There are many reasons we need play in our lives. The Playful Life shows you why and how to bring more playfulness to all aspects of your life. You’ll explore how to create meaningful, relevant, and fun experiences for yourself and others through both a playful mindset and playful behaviors. Through research and 20+ years of teaching children and adults, authors Dr. Julie Jones and Jed Dearybury have found that play is not only fun, it’s essential to a full life. In this book, they share their knowledge and inspire you to reflect on the need for connection and joy for healthy living through play. This book will equip you with new definitions, ideas, and ways of thinking about play for your daily life. With a relaxed tone, comical banter, and real talk, the authors encourage new understandings about what play is and empower you to make more playful choices. If you strive to find balance, overcome stress, and enjoy each day through play—The Playful Life is a must read for your life journey! Learn what play means and why it’s so essential to our everyday lives—at every age Discover the incredible benefits of play to your physical and mental health Get ideas for incorporating play into your everyday life at work, at home, or when you’re out and about Begin healing past traumas and grow into the person you are meant to be—through play and playful living! Building on the popular book The Playful Classroom, this is a new and exciting take on what play does for all of us-- physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

Hey Y’All xiii Foreword xv About the Authors xvii Acknowledgments xix Section One Meaning 1 Wanna Play? 3 2 Defining Play 11 3 Play as a Behavior 15 4 Play as a Mindset 19 5 Cultivating a Playful Mindset 31 Play & Ponder 41 Section Two Memory 6 Things We Learned from Playing 47 7 Cognitive Benefits of Play 51 8 Social Emotional Benefits of Play 56 9 Physical Benefits of Play 62 10 Play Personalities 65 Play & Ponder 77 Section Three Mind 11 Biological Predilection 81 12 This Is Your Brain. This Is Your Brain on Play 89 13 The Default Mode Network and Flow 96 14 Playful Habits 104 15 Play as Healing 115 Play & Ponder 127 Section Four Mistakes 16 Low-Risk/High-Risk Play 133 17 The Learning and Growth Process (RISK) 139 18 Mistakes and Fear 142 19 Excuses Are Mistakes 148 20 A Path to Eliminating Excuses 152 Play & Ponder 161 Section Five Movement 21 When Play Is Missing 165 22 Start with Yourself 169 23 Grow and Play with Friends 175 24 Play in Our Communities 180 25 You Don’t Have to Run a Marathon 183 26 Advocating Through Play 190 Play & Ponder 197 Section Six Mojo 27 Ned Barrett 201 28 Tashma Glymph 204 29 Sonia Aleman 208 30 Joan Wheatley 211 31 Marjorie Boafo Appiah 214 32 Tina Arenas 218 33 Matt Leung 222 34 Balance 225 Play & Ponder 233 Section Seven Map 35 Play Alone 237 36 Play with Friends or Family 248 37 Play with Strangers 258 38 Play as a Community 270 Play & Ponder 279 Southernisms and Their Meanings 281 References 285 Index 291