Posted on September 21, 2013
Nickelodeon is sponsoring a Worldwide Day of Play to celebrate what we play, why we play, and how we play. Nick is offering a huge free event at Prospect Park in Brooklyn (a really large, really great park!), with everything from football and tennis to dancing and double-dutch jumprope. There's free water, concerts, and a Nick Jr. Zone—and loads of activities from partner organizations such as the YMCA, the NBA, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.Did you know that play is really important? It is one of the best ways that mammals learn whatever they need to know.
Young lions learn hunting skills by playing at sneaking up on others and pouncing; young zebras learn how to escape dangers by playing chase games. 
Humans have to learn more than any other creature—and we learn many things best in freely-chosen play activities!
Watch babies turn meal time into a game of drop-the-spoon. (They're not being ornery, they are trying to figure out how gravity works!) Watch toddlers play by moving things, stacking things, threading things, pushing things—learning how the world works, and practicing hand-eye coordination. Listen to little kids learning language by playing rhyming games and babbling silly sounds. Older kids playing a pick-up game of basketball or kickball are learning all sorts of things about forces and momentum, and they are also learning how to get along, how to negotiate rules—lots of stuff!
Remember, it's not really play unless you are choosing it – and unless you can always choose to quit playing. Free play, pretend play, game play – do it all today!
Some great ways to play...
...water play
...hoop play 
...goop play Also on this date:
Check out my Pinterest pages on September holidays, September birthdays, and historical anniversaries in September.
And here are my Pinterest pages on October holidays, October birthdays, and historical anniversaries in October.
