Encouraging People of All Ages to Play Actively - Let’s Play America [Podcast Series]

• [:57] Dr. Bantham introduces her guest, Pat Rumbaugh

  • Pat is Executive Director of Let’s Play America. 

  • Pat is known as “The Play Lady” for her work encouraging people of all ages to give themselves time to play daily. 

• [1:18] Play as essential for people of all ages

  • “It's going to help us relieve stress, it's going to help us feel better about ourselves. If it's social play with others, that's so important. It’s just an overall positive way to help ourselves by playing.”

• [2:02] Addressing the perception of play as frivolous

  • “And so play is...is really something that we need to understand the importance of it and how it will benefit way more than take away from the academics.”

• [3:57] Active play in the classroom

  • “[W]e need to get up and move. Our bodies are meant to move and be physical. And that's what happened for years before all technology kicked in and we began just sitting and doing way less movement.”

• [5:15] Play as a learned and natural skill

  • “And that, that's what play brings to us. It brings, it makes us feel good about ourselves, it makes our bodies stronger.” 

• [7:03] Raising awareness of the benefits of play

  • “Well, I, I think it starts from the knowledgeable folks out there to go to their administrators, teachers, PTA, and say, can you share this with the newsletter? Could we bring in speakers that would talk to us about the importance of play and why our children need it?”

• [9:23] Play advocacy 

  • “Absolutely. A play advocate models playful behavior.”

• [11:57] Playful communities

  • “I really believe that if a group, that community, wants to put playful on the front burner, it's going to make a positive difference. You're going to have fun.”

• [13:09] Planning a play day

  • “And we had to apply with an application. give all our information, and we had to commit to planning a play day. And and you know, it was the best thing that could have happened to us because it gave us a goal.” 

• [14:12] The Play Lady

  • “And he said, Play Lady, you know what I want you to do? Keep doing what you're doing. So, how many years since 2009, I've been known as the Play Lady. And I love that name. It's, it's easy for people to remember.”

• [15:25] Play advocacy tips

  • “But the other thing that you can do is you can go to the people in charge in your community, your recreation director, your city council, your mayor, business leaders and say, can you support this, can you help us?”

• [18:04] Access to play opportunities 

  • “I'm so much for trying to find the funding, whether it be grants or from the city or individuals or businesses, however I can do it, we can do it. It's so important that play opportunities are offered to everybody.”

• [20:17] Play mentors

  • “My dream is to have leaders in all the activities and then they mentor younger as they get older, and they build their community service. They are empowered by play and they empower others.”

• [22:30] Play in the workplace

  • “Let me tell you, anywhere you live, you work, there should be play time. And I think more, more places of work that think about giving their workers. their employees, breaks and opportunities to play, they're going to want to stay.”

• [23:27] Reengineering play back into our lives

  • “You want to look at your calendar and, and you really want to put play on the front burner. Just like you may go to your place of worship on Sunday, you should also give yourself on Sunday some play time.”

• [26:11] COVID-19 pandemic and play

  • “And when it comes to play, we need to think of any way that it's going to help our children and adults. Because everybody has been through so much. It's been a really crazy time.  And play, play is what's going to save us, Amy.  Give it to yourself as ‘I’m giving myself the gift of play’.”

• [27:35] Let’s Play Outside

  • “Playing is so crucial and important to children's lives, that will lead to, hopefully, adults playing for the rest of their life.”

• [29:47] Tips

  • “Let them play on their own as early as possible. Let them be outside as much as possible. And most importantly, parents, educators, model playful behavior.”