Developing a  Language of Play

It is often surprisingly difficult to talk about play and thus to identify and argue in favour of the societal importance of play. This may sound trivial, but the lack of a common language appears to be in fact a major challenge, which makes it difficult to provide clear arguments for the impact and potential benefits of play. Play can be beneficial in countless ways, but the discussion is too often reduced to simple instrumentalism, when play is always much more than that. How do we talk about play in ways that truly grasp the many meanings of play?

We are designing a set of activities that begin with playful activities, but also involves spaces for discussion and contemplation. We wish to support the development of a language of play, which is directly rooted in play.