Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul

I really liked this book, and the explanation of the role play plays in our lives is amazing and profound.

I can't think of a reason for anyone not to read this, but if you are a parent or a teacher you should absolutely make the time for it. (I plan to give it to a couple teachers I know for Xmas.)

The only fault I find for it is the large amount of anecdotal evidence the author cites, this isn't to say he doesn't cite some scientific studies, not at all, but I would have preferred to see more focus on the objective science behind play. I suspect this focus has its roots in the fact that the study of play is a fairly young field.

I thought there was going to be more science here but Dr Brown has taken a friendlier approach with lots of stories that illustrate whatever science is behind the way we play. Or not. I may have preferred a little more science, but that's just me. I'm off now to go for a bike ride!

Stuart Brown, MD is the founder of the National Institute for Play. This book summarizes some of the research he's done over the years and it includes some interesting findings that can help make yourself and your teams more creative and effective. In short, making play a part of our daily life is the most important factor in being a fulfilled person.

We all play as children, it's part of our make-up, but something happens as we age and many adults start to feel guilty for playing. What does remain is often overly organized rigid and competitive, just like work. Play is creative and innovative and allows us to discover different ways to interact with the world around us. It teaches us the value of mastering skills and, hopefully, how to win and lose. It's everything that lifts us from the mundane.

If you feel stifled or lack creativity, your play development may have been disrupted. Brown offers the idea of recreating your play history. Go back to the first joyful experience you can remember and follow the threads. What brought you joy as a child? How can you bring that back into your life? Next, expose yourself to play. Are you open to play now? How can you be more playful? Finally, be active, free yourself from fear and allow yourself to be a beginner.

In the work place, play can be seen as frivolous and wasted energy. However, progressive leaders are beginning to understand the inherent link between play and imagination. Creating cutting-edge products or solving problems both benefit from greater imagination. Play also creates an atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie which improves the work dynamic and increases employee satisfaction and retention.

Overall, the book is an interesting read for leaders and coaches that want to bring more creativity and imagination into a team.

The author describes the benefits of play and how people can and should keep it in their lives. Eye-opening and inspirational.

Engaging if somewhat simplistic. I liked the specific anecdotes about people and their play experiences, but wished there was more detail about the studies Brown cites. (As other reviewers noted, there's no appendix with further information.) Not much about his overarching argument seems terribly original either, and he states his claims about play over and over. It is useful to have some language, though, to use with people who (unlike me) don't work in a preschool and may not see the importance of free play.

A great topic! I realized, being the happy guy that I am, just how much play I really participate in. There are all sorts of games that I play at work to challenge myself to do better, or go faster, or be more efficient. If I didn't I would be as miserable as the other guys I work with. I always found it remarkable how I was able to avoid the self-fulfilling prophecy that others bring upon themselves. This book made me realize that I am playing games to challenge myself. After reading this book, I have been able to better deal with some of the tantrums that my children have. I also realized how important play was in the training of my dog. The book itself was a little dry, but well worth reading it through. This author was interviewed by Dr. Virginia Campbell on her brain science podcast.

If I could give half star reviews , this would've gotten 3 1/2 stars instead of four. I enjoyed the concepts being discussed, and agree with the overall premise - that play is an essential and underappreciated part of life.It just would've been nice to have more specifics about the studies he mentions, or at the very least, some footnotes so I could have a look at them in more detail.

I learned a lot from this book.People need play. I did not know that. Not really. Not scientifically proven, anyway. People can be play-deprived. I did not know that. Play is something that has value for animals or it would not have evolved for higher order species. I did not know that. This book gave me empirical data for what my gut has always told me is true: Play is important.

I really like this book! Dr. Brown's FUN anecdotes and style-of-writing are as "playful" as the subject he explores - even as he briefly mentions studies, research, and observations of both human and animal behavior and what many conclude about "play."

He emphasizes the importance of play for everyone (animals included) and describes why evolution might have made (and still does make) play important.

I emphasize that he does all of this in a "lite" way - not burdened by scientific jargon/drudgery. That's why the book is fun to read. Yet, he DOES weave, in the most reader-friendly way, what scientists are discovering, speculating on, and even proving.

The only disappointment that I have is that he doesn't have an appendix with references so that I could read more!

The author here goes to great lengths to demonstrate how our lives are enriched with play - that play is an instinctual process and that without it, our lives can become dull and unsatisfactory. He does a good job of explaining this and describing different types of play. I ended up skimming the last chapter or so because the message got a bit repetitive. I did take something from this book and will look for ways in the future to incorporate more "play" into my life - especially myself with my kids and in giving my kids the opportunities to experience diverse play situations themselves.