Let’s play!

I remember way back when we had a morning recess, an afternoon recess, an hour for lunch, and weekly PE. Lots of time to get out and get around. Even still, sitting, with my back side in the chair and my feet on the floor, was never my thing. I perched. I pulled a leg up. I sat on the back of the chair. I needed to move. I still do it. The way my desk is set up I’m just as likely to be sitting on the arm of the couch, which is right behind my desk, while I’m working on my computer than I am to be perching on the chair at the desk.

So it’s been with no surprise that I’ve read a recent string of articles on the internet about how study after study is showing how important and beneficial play and movement are, and not just for children either. Here’s just a sampling.

• BBC | Play ‘boosts children’s development and happiness’
• NPR | Play Doesn’t End With Childhood: Why Adults Need Recess Too
• Scientific American | Kids Who Exercise Don’t Sweat Tests
• NPR | Dancer Needed to Move to Think
• Washington Post | The right — and surprisingly wrong — ways to get kids to sit still in class

And the thing is, even with all that time spent at free form recess or doing PE while I was in school, my teachers still managed to teach me to read, write, do math, love history, explore science, etc. There was plenty of time in the school day for my teachers to prepare me for adulthood and eventually graduate degrees, during which I still made sure I had time to get up and move around. In fact, as time has gone on, I’ve learned there’s a lot of value in getting out for a run or a long walk when I’ve got a problem to work through. The solution, the topic sentence, the opening paragraphs, always seem to come to me when I’m out moving around.

Now if you’ll excuse me, our daughter and I need to go explore all the rocks in our backyard. We’ve got some moving to be doing.