‘Day of Play’ Proves Schoolyard Games Aren’t Just for Kids
Students were invited to reconnect with their inner child and experience the benefits of play firsthand at a recent pop-up event on DU’s Campus Green.
At the peak of the quarter, when classes are particularly demanding, college life can feel like all work and no play. But DU students walking to class on May 8 had the opportunity to take a break and join in on a variety of yard games on campus, from cornhole to hopscotch.
“The purpose of today is just to let people have fun, with no specific purpose other than to play and enjoy yourself,” said third-year student Anjali Figueiredo, one of five student “play fellows” who helped plan the Day of Play.
It was the first event of a new initiative that supports DU’s 4D Experience and promotes joy, community, and wellbeing on campus. With support from the Daniels College of Business and four mentors—two faculty members and two from partner organizations—Figueiredo and her peers spent weeks brainstorming game ideas, conducting surveys, and learning about the benefits of play.
“We gave the play fellows almost no constraints, which they were very uncomfortable with because they are so used to having rubrics and deadlines,” said mentor Mia Sundstrom (BS ’21, MA ’23). “They were begging me to tell them what to do, and I wouldn't do that, because the spirit of play is to be open ended and to have less constraints.”
Sundstrom is a consultant on character education for the Office of the Chancellor and the CEO of the National Institute for Play, a nonprofit dedicated to the science and promotion of play. The Institute was founded by Sundstrom’s grandfather, Dr. Stuart Brown, a researcher who identified a link between violent behavior and play deprivation in the 1960s. Sundstrom said humans are born with an innate biological drive to play—which promotes physical, emotional, and social development—and, therefore, it is fundamental to public health.
“We can think about play in the same sense that we think of sleep or nutrition,” she explained. “If you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you don’t feel very good. And it turns out that if we don’t play, we also don’t feel like our best selves.”
Play also makes difficult work easier, according to mentor David Thomas, who co-leads the project Professors at Play. Thomas said he hopes this year’s fellows take away the values of being playful in their approach to work and collaboration.
“Hopefully, this brings a kind of playfulness into their lives, which will strongly benefit [challenging] things like finishing school,” he added.
With finals less than a month away, Play Fellows Elijah Sochaczevski and Michelle Erowhedo said their goal was to give students a place to take a break. Fellows noticed that students said they didn't have time at first, but after making a quick doodle with chalk, they ended up sticking around. Sochaczevski, a third-year marketing student, was particularly fond of the day’s more nostalgic schoolyard games, like Gaga Ball, where players try to hit each other’s legs with dodgeballs on a small, octagonal court.
Erowhedo, a student in the Sturm College of Law, said she can’t pick a favorite game—she loves them all.
“The best part of today has been seeing people casually stop by and leave a bit lighter and happier,” she noted.
The Day of Play was hosted in conjunction with DU's annual 4D Symposium, which brought students, faculty, and staff together to explore topics ranging from purpose in work and learning to experiential learning pathways to transformational mentorship. DU’s 4D Experience takes a holistic approach to student growth, challenging students to deepen their intellect, develop well-being, discover their character, and design lives and careers of purpose.
