The Power of Play in Emotional Health

Brought to you by The Alliance for Early Childhood.

Play – at least the kind that builds brains and forwards development – is becoming an endangered activity among those who need to engage in it most. Part of the problem is the premature pressure on children to learn and to become socialized, as well as screen time. This presentation will reveal the power of play based in science, by examining how play serves development, how play builds attachment, and how play preserves emotional well-being. Our most significant failing is our lack of collective understanding concerning the pivotal role of play in growing our children up. The good news is we have never known more about the value of play and at the same time, we have never been so in need of this knowledge. Facilitated by Deborah MacNamara, Ph.D. Dr. Deborah MacNamara is on faculty at the Neufeld Institute, author of the best-selling book Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (or anyone who acts like one), and the Director of Kid’s Best Bet Counselling and Family Resource Centre.