I was intrigued by this TED Talk by Tim Brown because of the title - Tales of creativity and play. Tim Brown is the CEO of a consultancy company, and you might be thinking - what the heck does a CEO of a company know about play??!? Quite a lot, it turns out. This is an interesting TED talk to watch because he has the audience actually do a few creative activities, including drawing and shooting little foam rockets around the room. What I love about this TED talk is that he connects play with how that helps the creative process in the work place and suggests that adults should use play more. Here’s what resonated with me from this TED talk:

Kids who are in a trusted environment are more free to play
Friendship is a shortcut to play, when you are with friends, you are more likely to take creative risks
There is a time to play and a time when you have to stop. The ability to transition between activities is an important skill to have.
Play isn’t anarchy. There are social scripts and rules that kids follow. In order to participate in play, kids need to know the social scripts. This is the one that matters the most to me and here is why: If a child doesn’t know these social scripts, it makes it really hard for them to play! Some kids need more direct instruction on how to play, and need to practice those scripts. The good news is that children can be taught the social scripts that are so important to play with others.
Never stop playing - it is a powerful way to learn!

Watch it and let me know what you think!!