We all know that play is good for children, but do we know why and how? This eye opening infographic called “The Periodic Table of 21st Century Play” distills scientific learnings on play into one bright and thought provoking infographic.
Created by Laura Richardson, veteran of play studies who spent 10 years at Frog Design, this graph supplements her 2010 innovation essay, “The Four Secrets of Playtime That Foster Creative Kids.” Richardson writes “play is our greatest natural resource. In the end it comes down to playing with our capacity for human potential. Why would we ever want to limit it?”
The framework for play is categorized into 11 categories such as See, Create, Move, and Stretch with subcategories that describe each major section.
As a parent, I’m interested to see how these current and future learnings on play continue to affect our school’s curriculum and measures of success for our children. And next time the kids want to play, I might just let them go on for a bit longer.
Head over to Fast Company to view the infographic in full size.
Agnes Hsu is a mom of three and has been inspiring parents and kids to get creative with easy activities and family friendly recipes for over 10 years. She shares her love for creative play and kids food to her 2MM+ followers online. Agnes' commitment to playful learning and kindness has not only raised funds for charity but also earned features in prestigious nationwide publications.