[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-576538-105":59,"doc-detail-576538-en":134},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":127,"head_meta":129,"extra_data":131,"updated_unix":133},105,"en","promoting-playful-communities-the-ways-elementary-teachers-play","Promoting Playful Communities - The Ways Elementary Teachers Play","","The article examines how elementary school teachers play both inside and outside the classroom, using extensive interviews to connect everyday play behaviors with outcomes for educators and students. It frames teacher well-being as stability against burnout and explores evidence that play enhances learning, supports energy and joy, and strengthens psychological safety, innovation, and meeting productivity. It also cautions that play can become excessive, and argues for intentional, scaffolded playful classroom cultures.",{"@graph":69,"@context":126},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/promoting-playful-communities-the-ways-elementary-teachers-play/576538/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/promoting-playful-communities-the-ways-elementary-teachers-play/576538.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Logic","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-20","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":14},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118,122],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the central research question about elementary teachers’ play?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It asks what elementary school teachers’ personal experiences with play are, both in and out of the classroom.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does teacher play relate to well-being and burnout resistance?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The article discusses teacher well-being as requiring enough stability to resist burnout, linking teacher playfulness to joy, calm, and improved energy in practice.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What evidence does the article present about play’s impact on learning?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It cites research suggesting playing enhances learning rather than detracting from it, especially when play is practiced and scaffolded in the classroom.",{"name":123,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":124},"What caution does the article give about using play in classrooms?",{"text":125,"@type":113},"It warns that excessive play or obsession is no longer play, and that play should be introduced thoughtfully since it is evidence of wellness rather than its cause.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":128,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":130,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":132,"site_id":62},576538,1792455215,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":135},{"doc_id":132,"user_id":136,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":137,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":138,"file_id":139,"file_url":140,"file_type":141,"file_size":142,"view_count":14,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":143,"language":144,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":145,"faqs":146,"seo_title":147,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":148,"read_time":149},1099513958762,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253","Promoting Playful Communities  \nThe Ways Elementary Teachers Play  \n•  \nCeleste M. Dierenfeld  \nThe author, using extensive interviews, researches the play of working elementary school teachers to discover how they engage in such activities, both in and out of the classroom, to relax, enhance learning, and connect professionally. She discusses how these experiences offer rich insight for strengthening teacher well-being, training, and professional development.  \nKey words: teacher professional development; teacher play and playfulness;  \nteacher well-being  \nTeacher well-being has become a growing interest for researchers scrambling to identify practical ways to improve the overall health and job satisfaction of educators (Brackett et al. 2010) . But what is it, exactly, that keeps teachers in a state of well-being long enough and with sufficient stability that they become resistant to burnout? Could part of the problem be that we have forgotten how to play at work? Teachers who infuse playfulness into their teaching have an opportunity to experience joy for themselves. Baker and Ryan (2021) found that when educators embraced play as a strategy for teaching and learning, many experienced feelings of delight and increased energy in their practice. Infact, some have even found that amusement can calm their physical bodies (Wu et al. 2019). Playing can benefit teachers not only personally but also help them become professionally more effective. Research has demonstrated over and againthat playing actually enhances learning rather than detracting from it (Brown 2009; Mardell et al. 2019; Zosh et al. 2018) .  \nThrough the research I present in this article, I seek to take a deep look into the ways that some teachers play, both in and out of the classroom. I am specifically exploring the research question: What are elementary school teachers’personal experiences with play? The overarching goal of this article is to develop a better understanding of the play of teachers to guide subsequent research and  \n75  \nAmerican Journal of Play, volume 17, number 1 © 2025 The Strong [Contact Celeste M. Dierenfeld at celeste.dierenfeld@tsd.org](Contact Celeste M. Dierenfeld at celeste.dierenfeld@tsd.org)  \nclassroom applications. All individuals should enjoy their work, but in the case of teachers, the stakes are especially high. Students are tremendously influenced by their teachers. Teachers who create opportunities to play at school can lift their own spirits (Scharp et al. 2022) and provide students with opportunities to learn with levity (Ranz-Smith 2007) .  \nLiterature Review  \nDefining Play and Playfulness  \nPlaying is the parent of fun and enjoyment. When we play, we connect to ourselves and others in ways that shape our brains to adopt greater flexibility and creativity (Kellman and Radwan 2022). There is no one way to play, because it is inherently personal (Güneş 2021), culturally influenced (Mao et al. 2022), and difficult to define (Sutton-Smith 2001) . Brown (2009) broadly defines play as having several attributes. It is apparently purposeless, voluntary, and inherently attractive. In addition, it provides freedom from time, a diminished consciousness of self, improvisational potential, and desire to continue. Brown further describes the state of play as the opposite of a state of depression.  \nDistinct from the activity of play itself, playfulness is more of an inclination, a mindset that affects how we engage in the activity (Guitard et al. 2005) . According to Shen and colleagues (Shen et al. 2014), playfulness involves a freedom to have fun in the moment. Adopting a playful attitude could shape how an individual interacts with others and their work to take on a lighthearted and joyful quality.  \nWhy Play?  \nWhen we play, our spirits rise, and we gain an emotional distance from stressors, which affords a fresh perspective (Brown 2009) . In the workplace, play has been found to strengthen psychological safety and innovation (Muke","cbCaibOgakHqKtNc","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaibOgakHqKtNc","pdf",171568,21,"English","# Literature Review\n## Defining Play and Playfulness\n## Why Play?\n## A Caution About Play\n## The Problem of Stress","[{\"question\":\"What is the central research question about elementary teachers’ play?\",\"answer\":\"It asks what elementary school teachers’ personal experiences with play are, both in and out of the classroom.\"},{\"question\":\"How does teacher play relate to well-being and burnout resistance?\",\"answer\":\"The article discusses teacher well-being as requiring enough stability to resist burnout, linking teacher playfulness to joy, calm, and improved energy in practice.\"},{\"question\":\"What evidence does the article present about play’s impact on learning?\",\"answer\":\"It cites research suggesting playing enhances learning rather than detracting from it, especially when play is practiced and scaffolded in the classroom.\"},{\"question\":\"What caution does the article give about using play in classrooms?\",\"answer\":\"It warns that excessive play or obsession is no longer play, and that play should be introduced thoughtfully since it is evidence of wellness rather than its cause.\"}]","Promoting Playful Communities - The Ways Elementary Teachers Play | PDF",1792029954,53]