+1: Play + Learning (#017)

Welcome to Mama Goddess. I'm your host, Alexandra J. Johnson. This podcast is all about rocking your goddess life, creating vibrant health and celebrating motherhood and family life. It's about living an authentically awesome life. Let's have.

Hello, this is Alexandra. Welcome to another optimize one play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers I've thought a lot about play in children in the last seven years. I completely agree with Mr. Rogers. My son is seven years old and my daughter is almost three and I see all the ways they play to learn about life. Their work is their play and their play is their work. It's serious business. One of the many reasons I choose to be with them and not put them in school is because I believe in play so much. I think kids should be running around in the dirt, playing, learning and exploring for as long as possible. I've observed them learn how to crawl because they've wanted to play with an object. I've watched them learn how to walk because they wanted to play with the dog that kept running away from them. I've watched them excitedly wash dishes and make green juice. I've watched them build Legos, forts and blocks. I've watched them discover insects outside and play in the sand and dirt for hours. I've watched my son learn math because he's curious about numbers and learn how to write because he wanted to make a sign. A lot of these things seem like they're insignificant in the real world, but if we look deeper, we'll see all the life skills they are learning. Even the so called serious learning can be play if we're intrinsically motivated and interested in the topic. And the super cool thing about this play business plate isn't just for children, it's for adults as well. Think about all the things you've learned, the things that are really important to you. Didn't you have a curiosity about something? Didn't you play with it a bit until you gained some mastery? Whether that be a sport, an instrument, a language, sewing, or building something. Something. All of the things that I do professionally all started off as play. I was curious, I wanted to do it. I tested out and then I kept practicing because it was fun. And then I got better with practice, which was also awesome. There's an innate drive in all of us to learn and contribute to the world. Our dabbling and playing with things help us grow and expand our sense of self it gives us freedom to make mistakes, try things on and experiment. We then use those gifts and talents to make the world better. It's a win win. Learning and play go together. When we allow kids and ourselves to play, it helps our learning. We cultivate a sense of wonder and imagination and this leads us towards the path of mastery. And if we're open to it, our kids might just help us remember how to play as well. They can remind us how to enjoy the process, create and express ourselves freely. How to run, dance, laugh just because it feels good. To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, it is a happy talent to know how to play. So let your kids play, let them be kids. And don't forget to join in and play with them every once in a while too. It's good for your mind, body and soul. Play on my friend. Sending you big love and blessings.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Mama Goddess. Sending you lots of love and blessings. If you'd like to connect more, go to mamagoddess.com until next time. Keep rocking it and have an awesome day.

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