The simple answer to this is, ‘no’. I do not play. I work, eat, sleep and repeat.

What does playtime even mean to me? As a paediatrician that specialises in child development and behaviour – play is something that I constantly asking parents and carers about and observing in clinics, nurseries and school settings.

When we think about spontaneous play we are thinking about play that is not prompted by or influenced by adults and the motivation comes from the child. There does not need to be an obvious goal or conclusion and it can be an end in itself. It is stimulating and rewarding and brings emotional satisfaction. There are many theories on the role and purpose of play but it is clear that it does support children in acquiring and practising self-help skills. It can help with the promotion and development of physical development, fine motor and hand-eye coordination. It is a way of children exploring their environment and learning about the world around us. Children will start to invent make-believe situations for themselves by observing and imitating people around them. Role and pretend play are also part of children becomeing more creative and imaginative. When children engage in games with rules involve children deveoping and honing their understanding of sharing, taking turns, fair play and the abilty to record results. Play can soothe, distract and entertain.

Lol…I am sure I must have done these as a child! Well I know I did. It was all we did when we were not watching TV or doing endless hours of homework.

Translating the world of play to the adult world can be magical – when thought of as something that helps us evolve, change, develop us as people. Or simpy relax…

I think for me maybe ‘playtime’ would mean:

• involve learning and using a new skill.
• enjoying and making time for a hobby

It may or may not involve other people. I am to a large extent, quite an insular character, so increasingly quite comfortable in my own company. For me play has to be fun and not at all onerous. I love blogging, reading, cooking and photography and maybe they are play of sorts but I often feel compelled to have an outcome and/or share with the world. Of course I don’t. That is just a pressure I put on myself.

This year I would like to try:

• swimming
• running for fun (not for weight loss)
• take more walks
• drawing and painting

I think that these activities would represent downtime for me, which I think that this age and stage in my life is what ‘playtime’ is. A chance to use my brain in a different and non-stressful way that would relax, refresh and regenerate and recharge me.

It’s only the seventh day of the year, so I have plenty of time to not do anything of these things. Let’s see how it goes eh?

Reference: Play in Early Childhood, From birth to six years, Mary D. Sheridan