Playing throughout the Pandemic
I started the pandemic in Reno, Nevada on March 9, 2020. I was there to give a talk about Brain Health and the benefits of Socialization to the Gaming Industry. When I wrote this talk I wasn't expecting for the next year we would be living through a social isolation experiment. If I had I probably would have given them more advise to go on. As it was, I had retailers reaching out to me for suggestions and customers of our own seeking assistance and guidance over the last 415 days.
If I could go back this is what I would stress.
Often we underestimate the "Power of Play". Play is an effective way to learn, develop and grow in critical thinking, socialization and language. Learning to play with your children is incredibly valuable, not just for them but also for you. Getting to know your children's likes and dislikes, teaching them management skills of how to handle disappointment and patience during turn taking. These are just a sample of easy skills taught during 30 minutes of play, infused with laughter and joy.
These skills are also useful for adults...and boy have we needed them. In the 21st Century it is easy to get lost in technology. But for the last year we had to depend on technology to get us together, interact, communicate, entertain...socialize. It wasn't our first choice, being online. We made due, we created new platforms and grew new ways to interact safely. Still we crave personal contact, physical interaction and face time.
Play. Is. Powerful. It's only taken 415 days to be craving humanity so much we might just hug the first stranger (then sanitize). While we wait for the U.S. to get vaccinated, the rest of the world looks on with jealousy and longing. How we handle this next phase is just as important as how we handled the first 415 days.
You've got this, see you on the hug side.
Love, Lynn
