Play: Bringing Gratitude Alive
Play is one of the key aspects of the project, as such, we developed a working definition to guide our thinking. Embracing our understanding that play is a vital influencer of wellbeing and brain architecture we defined play, in this project, as naturally inspired curiosity and imagination, which enraptures the whole person. This play experience is about exploring the wonder of living in mind, body and soul. It also involves a ‘stretch factor’ that activates and applies new learning through the process of discovery. All this activity leads to a wonderful sense of pride, capacity and wellbeing growth in the player (Brown, 2009).
With this working definition of play embedded, we introduce the science of gratitude into the play space (work or school) to find complimentary room for both to flourish in the mind and actions of all community members. In short, the end result is an observable increase in wellbeing for all who participate (Soper, O’Donnell, 2017)