Why do children play?

Play is a concept in psychology and

sociology considers play
to be a mechanism by which children
explore the world.
However, what is the connection to enhance
creativity children have?
We know that as creativity takes a sharp
downturn around the
fourth grade, the act of play begins to
diminish as well.
Certainly, there is some correlation.
In a series of studies going back to 1968
on idea
generation, 98% of three year olds scored
within the creative genius range.
By the time those kids reach the age of
10, this number had declined to 32%.
And by the time these kids were adults,
that number was only 2% of creative
geniuses.
There are some correlations between play
and creativity that we can measure.
Play, like creativity, is a concept that
is often
difficult to define concretely and depends
on the situation.
We essentially know it when we see it.
However, we know that creativity is a
culturally and personally
dependent construct, and play is very much
the same way.
There are some other connections between
play and creativity.
First, play is by nature intrinsically
motivating and never dependent on external
rewards.
As we've discussed, creativity is not
exclusively
dependent on intrinsic motivation, but
according to
Mobele's research, does best when the
drive
to create and innovate comes from within.
Second, both play and creativity are
methods in
which a set of skills are explored and
refined.
Both are also mechanisms in which we can
explore objects and material use.
Children are natural explorers and will
often engage in object play, in which
they explore all the alternative uses for
an object outside of its intended
function.
We all have evolved biases in which we
process objects, which shape our
experiences and adaptive behavior.
The tendency to not identify alternative
uses for objects is

called functional fixedness, and is a bias

that happens in childhood.
One indicator of creativity is to observe
children who are observing other children
who
are doing something with an object or
otherwise in a creative or novel way.
This is true with adults who are doing
something different, novel, or creative,
and can be a good indicator when we are
looking to measure creative skill.
Third, play is identified by a pretend
make
believe quality according to both play and
creativity researchers,
including psychologist Csikszentmihalyi as
discussed in his notable book,
Creativity Flow and the Psychology of
Discovery and Invention.
Both very much depend on a sense of
curiosity and a what if frame of mind.
This, when experienced through play, often
leads to out-of-the-box
type thinking and moments where creative,
novel ideas can occur.
Finally, when engaged in creative
endeavors and in play, we
often experience what Csikszentmihalyi has
titled a state of flow.
Flow theory is defined as the state of
mind when one is immersed in an activity
through fun, motivation, and happiness,
and all outside
matters including a sense of time are
lost.
So in considering these four points, what
can we realistically learn about
observing children in play, as it relates
to creativity in our own lives?
One strategy is to identify problems not
as
a problem statement, which we are often
trained to
do, but rather as a pattern recognition in
which habits, traits, and other
reoccurring patterns are identified.
This exploration method is seen in
children as a way in which to explore
social and cultural norms and to test
those boundaries, free from real life
consequences.
In short, taking a step back from a
problem you wish to solve and approaching
it
in a state of play, fun, or happiness,
free from consequences, can help encourage
creative thinking.
Another strategy for idea generation can
be explored through visual thinking.
This doesn't mean visual arts, but

rather a non-verbal Exploration of

possible ideas.
In figural versions of the Torrance Test,
children demonstrate heightened creative
elaboration alongside originality, when
given a shape and asked to turn it into a
picture, or series of pictures.
This type of thinking stems from the
potential for creative elaboration of
simple elements.
As children age, we see that many
cultural, representational, and simplified
images are displayed minimizing the
potential for novel and varied responses.
Doing these types of incomplete figures
and
picture construction tasks frequently are
one method
of non-verbal idea generation, which over
time
help improve flexibility and originality
of answers.
These are removed from the unusual uses
and
common problems approach we see with
verbal attribute listening.
A third strategy is using verbal stimuli
as an
attribute listing to mimic object use in
child's play.
Remember all the uses you can do with a
brick?
This type of activity is using Guilford
and later, Torrance's tests of unusual
uses.
Given an object and an hour to play, young
children
will explore the potential of tools for
realistic and imaginary opportunities.
The important thing to note is that, prior
to the
fourth grade, children are able to list a
range of answers
when asked, what can you do with a brick,
or another
object, because they have a limited
awareness of a wrong answer.
Part of play exists as an opportunity for
children to explore the world, free from
judgment And be curious, which contributes
to heightened
ability to generate fluent, flexible, and
original answers.
A large number of varied and unique
answers to a given prompt.
The many facets and uses of play all have
a
role in the different forms of creative
idea generation and exploration.
Some evidence suggests certain types of

play, such
as creating elaborate paracosms or fantasy
play involving
make-believe and alternate worlds, as a
child are
an indicator of above-average creative
ability as an adult.
Creating elaborate games as a child also
suggests
a potential for creative elaboration as an
adult.
In finding methods of creative idea
generation techniques
that work best for you, it might help to
think about how you play to the kid,
and how what inspired your curiosity and
internal motivation.
Approaching problems from this standpoint
is invaluable
in developing a consistent range of
creative ideas.
As Picasso said, every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist
once we grow up.
He was speaking of creativity, doing
things differently free
from judgment, and staying curious,
staying playful and fun.
And creativity is an important part of
being
able to generate many fluent, flexible,
and original ideas.