Katie Flowers

Professor Amber Ward

Art 133 AM
22 October 2015

Play is an exploration of the imagination. There are many ways to play, through

toys, art, dance, games, and much more. Play can help lighten a mood and enhance

creativity. For generations of people, games have become a tool for solving problems as

well as a vehicle for self-expression and self-exploration. (Pink, 2005, p 192) Through

play, children develop new ways to understand relationships. When playing with a baby

doll or action figure, children are bringing that character to life. They are learning to play

a different role while at the same time understanding someone elses role. (Jaquith, 2012,

p 69)

There is no right or wrong in play. Playing is all about using imagination and

creating scenes, images, or ideas in an open environment. In the classroom, it is important

for students to have some playtime to express themselves. In a surprise studio given this

week, students were able to create whatever their mind desired. This gave endless options

and a world of success for students to be able to create something with no direct

instructions. This lead the classroom to run with whatever idea came to mind. As Albert

Einstein says, Creativity is intelligence having fun.

Reference

Pink, D. (2005). A Whole New Mind. Toronto, Ontario: Penguin Group.

Testing the World through Play and Art. (2012). In D. Jaquith (Ed.), The Learner

Directed Classroom (pp. 68-76). New York, New York: Teachers College

Press.