Yesterday was one of our Continuing Professional Development days where the Links family get together and think about a topic connected with our day to day practice.
Our theme this time was PLAY – the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) has recently published some practice guidelines for therapists on Play – play is seen as something vital to our role and when a therapy session is going well an observer might think that they were watching two people having fun, absorbed in play.
So why is it so important?
“The primary and unique goal of occupational therapy is to enable participation in meaningful occupations, and play is a primary occupation of childhood” (World Federation of Occupational Therapists 2012, RCOT 2021).
According to the National Institute for Play “Adults who play experience less stress and more optimism and well-being. Children who are allowed to play are faster learners, more creative, and more socially competent.” Dr Stuart Brown
So play or being playful isn’t just something we do as children, its something that holds huge benefits for us throughout the life span.
With the surge of mental health issues is the absence of play from a certain age, impacting on our social, mental and physical health? “To be playful is to have hope.”
Play can help reduce the stress felt by children in hospital, play can boost emotional wellbeing, play can give us the vehicle to explore imaginary lands or give us wings to fly beyond the clouds. Play can help us create and maintain friendships. Play can help us develop our skills to move our bodies, learn how to use our hands and legs. Play can allow us to be creative – to build dens, to hide from the grown ups, to drive big buses and climb up to the tree tops.
“Play is a microscope that lets those that are willing to understand and gain a greater insight into a child’s life, their development and their well-being” RCOT and Sprung Youth
Our day together had space for play – for hiding under shiny materials, for playing games, for playing with shaving foam on a sparkly shower curtain and making ribbon shapes in the air and most of all it gave us a space to laugh, to enjoy each other’s company, to have fun which was fantastic therapy in itself!
Check out this 12 min Video created by young people from the Sprung Youth group in Coventry in partnership with the RCOT to explain the guidelines and recommendations
