Category: Self Care

Adults Need Play, Too! The 8 adult play personalities

1/20/2021

As adults who care for or teach children, we recognize the value of play for young children: It is the most natural and effective way for them to learn about the world, themselves and others. We may not realize that we adults need play, too.

Play improves many aspects of our lives, such as creativity, mood, and stress relief. It also helps us build and strengthen relationships and just have fun! How can we promote play for ourselves and other adults?

Think back to when you were a child. What were your favorite ways to play? Chances are you still enjoy a version of those things. Try to bring them back into your life, and provide opportunities for the adults in your personal and professional lives to be playful as well.

According to Stuart Brown, there are eight different adult play personalities. You may have one or two of these as your primary ways to play. If you are in a leadership position, it's helpful to know the different styles of play so you can tap into what each person thinks is fun for teambuilding activities. Here are the play personalities:

The Joker - enjoys helping people laugh
The Kinesthete - likes to move and be active
The Explorer - prefers going to new places, learning new information, or searching for new feelings
The Competitor - enjoys playing games to win
The Director - enjoys planning and presiding over scenes and events
The Collector - plays by gathering an interesting collection of objects or experiences
The Artist/Creator - finds joy in creating things or making thinks work
The Storyteller - plays by using the imagination to create, act in, or enjoy stories

Here are some teambuilding activities I've found for the different personality types. Try one out at your next staff meeting or family gathering! I've included ways to play that can be done virtually, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Telling Jokes
Have an open mic icebreaker: Open a meeting with some child-friendly jokes that adults may share with their children:

Q: What did 0 say to 8?
A: Nice belt!
Q: Where do you learn to make banana splits?
A: At sundae school.
Q: What did one eye say to the other?
A: Don’t look now, but something between us smells. https://www.care.com/c/stories/3776/101-funny-jokes-for-kids/

Moving

"Balloon Keep Up" (Torbet, 2005)

Have everyone blow up a balloon and form a circle. The goal of this cooperative game is to keep the balloons from touching the floor. You may choose to begin with one balloon then add more gradually, especially if you're playing this game with children.

"Virtual Dance Party"

Play some upbeat music that gets people on their feet!

Competing

"Zip Zap Zop" https://www.teampedia.net/wiki/Zip_Zap_Zop

Stand in a circle. Someone begins by pointing to another person in the circle and saying "ZIP!"
That person then points to yet another person and says "ZAP!“
That person points to another person and says "ZOP!"
This continues, but the words must be said in order: ZIP, ZAP, ZOP.
If someone makes a mistake and says a word out of order, that person is out of the game.

Virtual Game: “Name, Place, Animal, Thing” https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g32098665/best-games-to-play-on-zoom/
To play, pick a letter. Each player lists a famous person's name, a place, an animal, and a thing that begins with that letter. The first person to type them into the online chat wins.

Directing
“Cat Got Your Tongue?” (from Leadership on the Go, FFA Organization)
Without any talking, complete these tasks:

Line up by height
Organize yourselves by eye color
Line up by the length of your hair
Organize yourselves by the number of siblings in your family
Line up by the month you were born
Line up alphabetically by the street on which you live

"Virtual Simon Says"
"Simon" gives instructions on actions to do, saying “Simon says” before some actions and not others. Participants do only the actions “Simon says.”
If they do the action not preceded by “Simon says” they are "out." When only one player remains that person wins.

Collecting
"Human Treasure Hunt" http://scavenger-hunt.org/25-human-scavenger-hunt-questions/
Go around the room and identify people who meet the criteria on the list:

Have you ever been in a helicopter?
Were you born overseas?
Do you have four or more siblings?
Is your birthday in June?
Have you been to the top of the Empire State Building?
Is your favorite color green?
Can you speak two or more languages fluently?
Have you ridden on a motorcycle?
Can you play the guitar?
Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?

Virtual "Show and/or Tell" (https://biz30.timedoctor.com/virtual-team-building/)
What do you collect? Write it in the chat! If you have a piece of your collection with you, show it, too!

Exploring & Creating
"Object Play"
Provide a set of art or play materials at the tables. Encourage your team members to explore and create with the materials.

"Object Play" - Virtual Edition
Invite online meeting participants to explore and create with whatever materials they have within arm’s reach. Encourage them to make a design, a tall stack or something else with them!

Storytelling
"Add-A-Word Stories" adapted from: http://www.icebreakers.ws/small-group/connecting-stories.html

The first player starts a story with one word or short phrase : “Once I went…”
The next player adds a word or short phrase: “On a fabulous trip to…”
Players continue adding one to five words.
Each person has the option to end the sentence and start another, but they sentences should be related.
Continue until all have contributed.

“Exciting Sponge” https://museumhack.com/virtual-team-building-for-remote-teams/

To play, each team member grabs a random object in arms length and creates a story about it. You can default to describing a sponge.
The goal is to make up something amazing about the object. The more absurd the better!

Be kind to yourself, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and put more play in your day. Laugh and be playful every chance you get - you'll be helping yourself and sharing joy with others. Everyone will benefit!

References:
Brown, S. (2009). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination and invigorates the soul. New York: Penguin.
Frost, J., Wortham., S. & Reifel, S. (2011). Play and child development (4th ed.,). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Magnuson, C. D., & Barnett, L. A. (2013). The playful advantage: How playfulness enhances coping with stress. Leisure Sciences, 35, (2), 129-144.
National FFA Organization. (2009). Leadership on the go: A library of activities for inside and outside the classroom. www.siue.edu/SIPDC/PD/communication/LOG.FFA_Leadership. pdf.
Proyer, R. T. (2012). A Psycho-linguistic study on adult playfulness: Its hierarchical structure and theoretical considerations. Journal of Adult Development, 19, (3), 141-149.
Torbert, M. & Schneider, L.B. (2005) Follow me too: A handbook of movement activities for three- to five-year-olds. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Yu, P., Wu, J. J., Chen, I. H., and Lin, Y. T. (2007). Is playfulness a benefit to work? Empirical evidence of professionals in Taiwan. International Journal of Technology Management, 39, (3-4), 412-429.

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Adults Need Play, Too! The 8 adult play personalities

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