Brains and play

A couple of months ago, I came across an advertisement for a virtual course taught by Dr. Daniel Seigel. He is definitely one of my favorite brain and connected parenting authors. (If you look at either my trauma reading list or my brain science reading list, you will see his name frequently.) This was a course called A Comprehensive Course on Interpersonal Neurobiology. If that doesn't have my name written all over it, I don't know what does. So I looked at the checkbook and figured out how to make it work. 

Every week for six weeks, there are six hours of lectures to listen to followed by an exam. If blogging seems a little lighter than usual over the next few weeks, it's because my brain is full and I need time to digest what I've heard. 

The thing I'm really enjoying about it is the level of the content. While there are some instances of reviewing things, such as the functions of each part of the brain, he reviews fairly quickly and moves on to new content. So much popular brain and neuroscience content stays within the same level and I find myself reading the same things over and over. I'm actually thinking I might need to listen to the lectures twice so that I can really wrap my head around the content. Brace yourselves, there may be a lot of brain science posts heading your way this summer as I think about what I'm learning. 

One bit I want to share with you tonight has to do with play, which as many of you know is another topic near and dear to my heart. Dr. Seigel was discussing the habits to nurture in order to have a healthy, well-integrated brain and one of those seven was to find time to play every single day. Not only is it a relaxing activity, but it has real neural impact even in adults. When we (adults and children) play, it allows us to test out new neural pathways in a safe environment. Because we're using new pathways and not just our old routine ones, it encourages neural growth which stimulates creative thinking and keeps us from becoming rigid and inflexible in how we interact with the world. I don't know about you, but as I get older, it truly feels like a constant battle against becoming rigid in everything... in my body, in my way of thinking, in what feels possible. Remaining young involves remaining flexible. 

So go play. Give yourselves permission to try new things just for the heck of it. It's good for your brain. 

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