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What is your earliest recollection of play? Inside? Outside? Were you playing alone? Perhaps with others? We might recall the fun of jumping in puddles, the damp cold feeling of playdoh squeezed through our fingers, or the exhilaration of reaching the next branch in our favourite climbing adventure. For those of us fortunate enough to have had such moments for free play early in our lives, we may fondly recall varied benefits from engaging in play, and we may wonder why we no longer seem to engage in such moments of play.
As educators and career development professionals, the three of us have been thinking deeply about the role of play and its connection to career development through the life stages
What is play?
Play is considered an essential part of childhood and consists of activities and behaviours that are freely chosen, personally directed, and intrinsically motivated. Play is something most individuals have experienced, and most of us are able to say that we have played and we know what it feels like to play. Play varies depending on context, environment and opportunity, for example, students in elementary school may have the opportunity to play outside during break periods, whereas students in secondary school might play through participation in a chess club or through sports-related activities.
What can we learn from play?
Is there a right to play?
Play is explicitly recognized within Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The UNCRC was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989, and Canada signed the UNCRC in 1990 and ratified it in 1991. Article 31 outlines the right for a child to rest and leisure, and to be able to engage in developmentally appropriate play and recreational activities and participate freely in cultural life and the arts. Despite this play-supportive policy and legislative context, not all children can access play and for so many, opportunity for play diminishes through the K-12 system as curriculum demands extend through the grades.
How does play get folded into education?
Play can be a powerful tool for learning, leading to cognitive growth, emotional well-being, physical development, and the learning of social skills. In recognition of the importance of play as a learning and development mechanism, play-based approaches have been embedded within many early years programs, policies, and curriculum documents across Canada. The Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC) confirmed that “it is important to encourage play as a tool for children’s learning to foster and promote the global competencies that are integral to flourishing in today’s as well as tomorrow’s world.”
Play and career development
As Froebel stated, play is never trivial; it is serious and deeply significant in adulthood provides opportunities to construct, make meaning, and develop positive feelings towards the future. Play can help root our career stories through creative outlets like music, art, and writing. Through play, our curiosity is sparked and consequently we can experience and increase our understanding of the world. Play as a career development mechanism offers opportunities for investigation, creativity and growth, and there is clear alignment between the guiding principles of career development and the value of play.
Summary
Through play, children explore and engage with the world as they develop foundational skills necessary for success in life, and as children traverse their early years, they both explore their environments through play and leverage play to develop skills that help them cope with life, both in and out of school. Reaching beyond simply the notion of jobs and work, career development is a lifelong process, that begins in the early years and progressing over a lifetime and play has an important role to contribute. Just as play “nourishes every aspect of children’s development – physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and creative,” surely it nourishes career development as well.
Dr. Heather Nesbitt is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queen’s University, Faculty of Education. She is passionate about play and thriving across the lifespan, and serves on the board of the International Play Association Canada.
Seanna Quressette, MEd, CCDP, is a trained Trauma Counsellor who also has over 35 years of experience in the Career Development sector as an instructor at Douglas College Faculty of Child Family and Community Studies and a private practitioner. She has worked with clients in private practice, in public programs and through post-secondary education. She brings to her work knowledge and expertise in both trauma work and career development.
Dr. Heather Nesbitt is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queen’s University, Faculty of Education. She is passionate about play and thriving across the lifespan, and serves on the board of the International Play Association Canada.
Seanna Quressette, MEd, CCDP, is a trained Trauma Counsellor who also has over 35 years of experience in the Career Development sector as an instructor at Douglas College Faculty of Child Family and Community Studies and a private practitioner. She has worked with clients in private practice, in public programs and through post-secondary education. She brings to her work knowledge and expertise in both trauma work and career development.
