Cooperative Play

I was talking to a friend yesterday and towards the end of our conversation she said something about cooperative play. I had never heard that term before and for some reason it resonated with me. Being the teacher that I am, of course I immediately went to look it up. I was amazed at all the information available on this topic. I was like a kid in a candy store as I stumbled across additional new terms like play development, play pretend, and stages of play.

How is it that I’ve raised three children without knowing any of this? How many of us were told to ‘go play’ just to get us out of the way rather than to encourage us in growing and developing much needed life skills that will help or hinder us for the rest of our lives?

Could it be that many of us don’t know how to have fun as adults because we never learned to play as children? Play is a skill that must be developed. Unfortunately, I believe many of us either never developed it or at some point concluded it was no longer needed. Did you know that we are better able to identify with our emotions, what we like, and how to relate to others through playing? It’s through cooperative play that we learn how to communicate, collaborate, compromise, connect with others, and resolve conflict. We even learn to take risks through play! For those of us who like playing it safe, staying in the box, or remaining in our comfort zone, sounds like we need to add some playtime back into our daily schedule.

I find it interesting that there is no stage of play development that indicates there ever comes a point in which play should end. To me that suggests it should be carried forward throughout our adulthood. So, why don’t you give it a try. Substitute some of your schedule for spontaneity. Postpone a portion of your plan for play. Trade some of your tools for toys and invite someone over for a time of cooperative play. 

Leave a comment below to share something you’ve done with someone recently just for fun!