Art Beat: Productive Play

Hi, my name is Jacob Mann. I cover the Art Beat for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

This story is about the power of productive play. Now, if you’re a parent, the term productive play may ring a bell as a bit of a buzzword for finding activities that are both fun and educational for children, be it building up work ethic or strengthening problem-solving skills. That’s what ultimately led to the prominence of S.T.E.A.M and S.T.E.A.M. in curriculum, toys, and youth activities.

Over the last couple of decades, there’s been an increased use of the term as more people try to find ways to make the most of their child’s overall development.

The summer is a unique position for families. On one hand, there’s the pressure to find a mountain of fun family activities and trips to reward children for making it through the school year. On the other hand, there’s the pressure to prevent “summer brain drain” and find ways to keep children mentally active and engaged.

Thanks to Alaska’s infamously short summer, there’s an added sense of urgency to pack as many items to the family’s itinerary as possible.

I think it’s really just a matter of finding a balance of fun and engagement when plotting the course for our children’s summer schedule; the same goes for anyone else wondering what to do with this fleeting season. There’s plenty of activities that are fun and contain ample amounts of educational opportunities such as visiting the Palmer or Wasilla museums, taking a day trip to Hatcher Pass, or going on a tour of local farm to see reindeer or musk ox.

When it comes down to it, every kid loves to play. We all grew up gravitating to our favorite fictional characters, subjects in school, sports, hobbies, toy, games, and everything else that was fun and made us feel good.

As we enter adulthood, this part of life can often find its way into the backseat. There are countless musicians with day jobs feeding their families that only play music on the weekends. In other cases, one’s art or pastime is only expressed a few times out of the year or even less.

I think one of the main things to keep in mind is that we can slow down to enjoy play for play’s sake, but we can also map out productive activities that are fun and enriching. We can feed our souls with the things that make us happy, and if we can kill two birds with one stone while we’re at it, I think we’ll be alright.

No matter how old you are, I simply encourage you to hold onto the activities that bring joy in your life, whether it’s something you’ve carried since childhood or recently discovered. Who knows, maybe you still haven’t found it. As long as you can find ways to let your mind unwind every now and then, I believe it will come to you.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com