Do you find yourself wanting more out of life? It’s time to bring play to your every day

Play is not just for kids! There are many reasons we need play in our lives. The Playful Life shows you why and how to bring more playfulness to all aspects of your life. You’ll explore how to create meaningful, relevant, and fun experiences for yourself and others through both a playful mindset and playful behaviors. Through research and 20+ years of teaching children and adults, authors Dr. Julie Jones and Jed Dearybury have found that play is not only fun, it’s essential to a full life. In this book, they share their knowledge and inspire you to reflect on the need for connection and joy for healthy living through play.

This book will equip you with new definitions, ideas, and ways of thinking about play for your daily life. With a relaxed tone, comical banter, and real talk, the authors encourage new understandings about what play is and empower you to make more playful choices. If you strive to find balance, overcome stress, and enjoy each day through play—The Playful Life is a must read for your life journey!

• Learn what play means and why it’s so essential to our everyday lives—at every age
• Discover the incredible benefits of play to your physical and mental health
• Get ideas for incorporating play into your everyday life at work, at home, or when you’re out and about
• Begin healing past traumas and grow into the person you are meant to be—through play and playful living!

Building on the popular book The Playful Classroom, this is a new and exciting take on what play does for all of us-- physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

Dr. JULIE P. JONES, PhD, is the Director for Teacher Education in Converse University’s School of Education and Graduate Studies. In addition to The Playful Classroom (2020), she maintains an active research agenda with interests including instructional technology and pedagogy, always with a mix of creativity and play. Follow her on Twitter @JuliePJones, and view her full curriculum vitae at www.juliepjones.com.

JED DEARYBURY began his EDU career in 2001. He was featured in GQ magazine as Male Leader of the Year, met President Obama as the SC honoree of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, and was a finalist for SC Teacher of the Year. In 2015, he began leading professional development and teaching in higher education. His previous books include The Playful Classroom (2020) and The Courageous Classroom (2021).

Table of Contents

Preface

Section One: Meaning

Section Introduction

Chapter 1: Wanna Play?

Chapter 2: Defining Play

Chapter 3: Play as a Behavior

Chapter 4: Play as a Mindset

Chapter 5: Cultivating a Playful Mindset Play & Ponder

Section Two: Memory

Section Introduction

Chapter 6: Things We Learned from Playing

Chapter 7: Cognitive Benefits of Play

Chapter 8: Social Emotional Benefits of Play

Chapter 9: Physical Benefits of Play

Chapter 10: Play Personalities Play & Ponder

Section Three: Mind

Section Introduction

Chapter 11: Biological Predilection

Chapter 12: This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain on Play.

Chapter 13: The Default Mode Network and Flow

Chapter 14: Playful Habits

Chapter 15: Play as Healing Play & Ponder

Section Four: Mistakes

Section Introduction

Chapter 16: Low Risk/High Risk Play

Chapter 17: The Learning and Growth Process (RISK)

Chapter 18: Mistakes and Fear

Chapter 19: Excuses are Mistakes

Chapter 20: A Path to Eliminating Excuses Play & Ponder

Section Five: Movement

Section Introduction

Chapter 21: When Play is Missing

Chapter 22: Start with Yourself

Chapter 23: Grow and Play with Friends

Chapter 24: Play in our Communities

Chapter 25: You Don’t Have to Run a Marathon

Chapter 26: Advocating Through Play Play & Ponder

Section Six: Mojo

Section Introduction

Chapter 27: Ned

Chapter 28: Tashma

Chapter 29: Sasha

Chapter 30: Joan

Chapter 31: Marjorie

Chapter 32: Tina

Chapter 33: Matt

Chapter 34: Balance Play & Ponder

Section Seven: Map

Section Introduction

Chapter 35: Play Alone

Chapter 36: Play with Friends

Chapter 37: Play with Strangers

Chapter 38: Play as a Community Play & Ponder

Southernisms

References