The Power of Play
How do you encourage a child to lie perfectly still in a noisy tunnel for an extended period? Anyone who’s ever had an MRI scan knows they’re not much fun. And for young children, they can be downright scary. Hospitals have historically resorted to anaesthesia but thanks to Lego- that’s no longer necessary.
A team at Odense University Hospital and volunteer LEGO employees teamed up to make MRIs more playful and less stressful. They designed a LEGO brick model of an MRI scanner. By playing with it before their scans, guided by hospital staff, children get a feel for the room they’ll be in and the machine they’ll face. And, by putting a LEGO minifigure through the model scanner first, children can take control and learn what to expect at the same time.
What LEGO knows is that play is vital to a child’s ability to develop core skills including confidence, communication, creativity and critical thinking. Skills that are crucial to their well-being and success as adults. Yet the time, space and permission children need to play is constantly under pressure. The benefits of play are often undervalued in our education system and it frequently loses out to more formal curricula.
Joy is one of the key characteristics that make play a force for good in children’s lives. It’s what keeps them coming back for more! When we’re enjoying ourselves, our brain releases a chemical called dopamine, a neurotransmitter that’s a crucial part of how we motivate ourselves. And healthy levels of dopamine are also linked to better memory, creativity and mental flexibility. So while children are enjoying playing they’re also busy building up crucial skills for living well.
Neuroscience shows us how play activates the DNA that triggers the phases of human growth. If children fail to get enough play, they may miss key developmental milestones and find it hard if not impossible to make up the ground later in life.
The current review of the curriculum which is being conducted against the backdrop of soaring referrals to Camhs has identified four areas for improvement. Play does not feature among them. Ensuring high standards for all is the first priority and who could argue with that? What the review should consider though is how a more child-centred school experience turns out happier, healthier, and defacto higher achieving children and young people.
In the UK, we funnel young people into an incrementally narrower approach to learning culminating in high-stakes examinations. In a survey of 1000 exam students earlier this year, it was revealed that 85% experienced anxiety and most received little or no support. Finland is acknowledged as having one of the world’s best education systems. It does not rely on exams as a measure of success. Instead, they opt for continuous assessment and fostering a deeper understanding of subjects.
The key to Finland's success lies in the trust placed in educators, who are well-trained and empowered to innovate and meet the needs of their students. The focus on equality, well-being, and the value of education for all has helped Finland create an environment where students are encouraged to learn at their own pace, fostering creativity and critical thinking.
Putting Children and Young People at the centre of policy-making means seeing the world from their viewpoint. It means understanding the science of how they develop. It seems in Scandinavia, whether you’re a toy manufacturer or a teacher this is a given.