PYP Celebrates Global School Play Day!
by Grade 5/6 Students
Have you ever wondered how Global School Play Day (GSPD) started? In 2015, Scott and Tim Bedley, Eric Saibel, Oliver Schinkten, Misty Higgins and Bethany Chaffin were inspired by their observations that many schools focus on academic testing and have less opportunities for unstructured play time. So on the 4th of February, 2015, the first GSPD started and over 65,000 students were involved. The number of participants has grown each year and is now celebrated in over 65 countries!
On GSPD, students play without screens, adult instructions or structured games. This allows students to explore creativity skills, social skills, and problem solving skills with each other. According to psychologist Dr. Peter Gray, “a decline in free play is the reason kids have an increase in anxiety and depression, a decline in empathy, a rise in narcissism, and a decline in creativity.” Free and imaginative play is important to building emotional development in children.
At MIS, we met in the morning and came up with three agreements: to respect ourselves, others, and property. Then, we had many student-created activities going on in different classrooms. Some students chose to color, build with clay, make things with Legos, build forts, create cages for wild animals, and play with stuffed animals. We played on all the different playgrounds around campus, in the gym and even in the pool. At the end of the day we shared milk and photos from the day.
GSPD is important because we are reminded that play is a part of our development. Unstructured play helps us learn how to be social, share with each other, be engaged, negotiate and respect each other. This was MIS’s 10th year celebrating GSPD and it is a fun tradition for all of us!
