Finding play

Wherever you are, it's available.

It has been a jam-packed week of traveling through London with my family, ages 2-70, and I have, of course, been a scavenger for play, wherever we go. I’ve been noticing how my children, ages 8 and 11, use the built environment so playfully, so distinctly differently than the time-pressed adults who are mostly moving from one place to another. They weave in and around anything stationary, jump from steps and ledges, balance precariously along a curb, and take turns trying to piggyback each other down busy sidewalks. I’ve been noticing how my little nephew selects the tiniest, just-right stick and presents it to any of us as if he has just found the most incredible treasure. He is zoomed in and laser-focused on what is accessible to him.

I’ve been thinking about how some places are naturally designed for play to happen, but also that children can make play happen anywhere. It is kind of fascinating that play can thrive in a beautifully presented environment with inviting materials and in unexpected spaces without play in mind at all. So what invites play, when and where can play happen, and where do we find it?