When my son Jack was in 2nd grade, I’d always ask him about his favorite part of the school day.

“Recess!” he’d shout with a mischievous smile.

When I probed further, it was followed only by “Lunch!" or “PE!"

We began to make a game of it, and he’s older now, so every now and then I’ll get a shout about a good day in math or humanities.

But he still comes back to his favorite part of school being the moments he played.

I’m writing a book on play and it even took me a moment to step back and recognize that play is not a frivolous moment of recess!!

It’s when we learn new things.

Science proves the value of play - it releases stress, pulls you into the present, and improves your relationships.

And of course it's the pathway to fun.

Play is necessary to balance the demands of the school day, just like it helps you balance the demands of your work and busy life.

Beyond the science, I saw the value of play in action.

In 2019, I went to Guatemala with my twin girls to help the nonprofit School the World build a school and playground in Santa Cruz del Quiché, a remote area in Guatemala’s western highlands.

We joined high school students and worked side by side with the local government, teachers, families, and children, whose faces are forever in my mind.

You can check it out in this 3-minute video my kids and I made when we returned.

There’s something about helping others that just makes you feel good.

It gives your life a little bit more meaning too.

While navigating these tough times, School the World continued to bring quality education to children living in extreme poverty. Over the last two years, they have kept children learning even while they were stuck at home, unable to go to school.

As schools finally reopen, they need help funding playgrounds, so that not only can kids learn, they can also PLAY.

To honor the value of play, School the World just launched the “Spring into Play!” campaign and that was music to my ears. ;)

Maybe you can help me spread the word about what they’re doing for so many children in need?

They have 10 schools that need playgrounds and I'll be going to Honduras with my kids this summer to help them build one of them.

If you’re also interested in doing service work with your friends or family, you can reply to this email and I'll help you come up with ideas. You can also reach out to School the World here.

Or you can ask your kids about their favorite part of the school day.

My bet is they’re going to say recess!

With fierce love,
Alison