The Genius of Play Shares the Importance of Play at National Conferences

April 17, 2018 | The Genius of Play continued to spread its message about the developmental benefits of play at two recent conferences.

Toy Association staff presented at US Play Coalition’s annual conference, “The Many Faces of Play,” where more than 300 educators, researchers, and other professionals in the toy and play space gathered in Clemson, SC from April 8 to 11. The Genius of Play’s session, “Beyond Cardboard & Sticks: The Role of Toys in Facilitating Play,” focused on the role of toys as the tools of play and provided tips for selecting toys for each stage of child development. The session ended with an interactive exercise where attendees were divided into groups to create their own toy focusing on age-appropriate developmental skills.

The Genius of Play also shared its mission and resources with hundreds of attendees at the Snap! Conference, where 350 creative entrepreneurs and lifestyle influencers representing the maker and DIY community came together last weekend in Salt Lake City, UT. As a result of these new connections, influencers will be incorporating more than 100 play ideas from TheGeniusofPlay.org into their own content creation, helping spread The Genius of Play to their followers.

Snap! Conference attendees were also invited to participate in The Genius of Play’s sweepstakes for a chance to win $250 worth of toys. Participants were asked to spin a Play Challenge activity wheel to either hula hoop, dress up/pretend play, yo-yo or answer trivia questions to test their playfulness. The Genius of Play had the opportunity to address the audience from the main conference stage to announce the winner.

“The Genius of Play continues to forge successful connections and partnerships to further raise awareness about the significant role toys and play have in kids’ development,” said Anna Yudina, The Toy Association’s director of marketing initiatives and session presenter at US Play Coalition. “From play experts to educators to bloggers to parents, we continue to expand our audience reach and the feedback we receive about our program is very encouraging.”

The Genius of Play is a national movement spearheaded by The Toy Association to raise awareness about play’s critical role in child development and encourage more play in children’s lives. The Genius of Play’s website offers expert advice from play and child experts ranging from child psychologists to play community activists, play ideas, and play-inspired resources for teachers.