How Can Playtime Benefit Our Cognition?
Written by Sonia Liu
Edited by Gesi Huang
One of my most treasured childhood memories is spending my whole afternoon playing with a Velcro fruit and vegetable set beside my mother as she made dinner. I still recall the feeling of pulling the pieces apart, putting them back together, and pretending to prepare a meal of my own. At the time, the toys kept me entertained while my parents were busy. They were even more fun because they let me imitate adult activities.
Looking back, I realize that those afternoons gave me more than a way to pass the time. Through play, children practice and develop important social and emotional skills, reinforcing cognitive development. But how does play contribute to the growing brain of a child? And how does something assimple as pretending to cook—or a game of tag— benefit us throughout our lives?
Play is most commonly viewed as a source of entertainment and natural enrichment for children[1]. While this is true, play is also crucial on a developmental level, as it helps children make sense of the world around them. According to psychologist Dr. Peter Gray, play is most important when it is self-directed by children, because it allows them to decide what to do, navigate through problems independently, and learn from their experiences [1]. For instance, through my Velcro food set, I had the opportunity to see how the food pieces were connected and experiment with how I could use them. I was also able to pick out the foods I wanted to “cook”, leading me to sort fruits and vegetables into separate categories.
Additionally, when children play together, they learn to communicate their develop empathy. These opportunities help children build self-regulation, which is an extremely useful tool for challenging situations as they grow older. Whether it be playing with other children or with toys, play is advantageous for a child’s social engagement and emotional understanding.
Furthermore, play can help improve brain chemistry on a molecular level. Studies have shown that healthy brain development requires a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) [2]. BDNF regulates glucose and energy metabolism, which in turn promotes brain plasticity and helps regenerate brain cells [3]. In one study, researchers found that rats who engaged in 20 minutes of play had elevated levels of BDNF compared to those who did not. Alhough these findings come from rodents, it still suggests that a similar biological process could be occurring in human children as they engage in play. Similarly, researchers found that decreased amounts of BDNF in the brain may play a role in neurological disorders and mood disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and depression [4][5]. Taken together, the importance of BDNF in the body and its connection to play suggests that the benefits of play may extend beyond childhood and potentially support brain development throughout adulthood.
From expanding socio-emotional skills to supporting cognitive growth, play has an essential role in human development. It not only provides children the opportunity to imitate what they see in everyday life and explore with decision-making, but it can also be used to encourage children to engage with their environments as modeled by my Velcro food set. The benefits of play could later be reflected in how we interact with others and our intellectual development. Lastly, the connection between play and BDNF raises broad questions about how childhood experiences may shape cognition across the lifespan and w prepare us for life beyond childhood.
(Sonia Liu ’29 is in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at sl3642@cornell.edu)
