The idea that play is an evolved form of research has been around since Albert Einstein said it. Play has always served an important role in our lives; it’s helped us to explore and discover new things about ourselves while also collaborating with others, and reimagining the world. Believe in Me invests in Enrichment Programs, providing creative thinking opportunities for kids to use their imagination and see a new world full of possibilities. For this reason, we are excited to announce a $7,500 grant award for the Boys and Girls Club of Spokane.
The Boys and Girls Club of Spokane and the Opportunities for Kids
Since 2001, the Boys & Girls Club of Spokane County has provided a safe and positive place for young people, between the ages of 6 to 18 years old, to go after school. This grant will support their Triple Play program and the acquisition of the Kaboom Imagination Playground for their Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer Club.
On one hand, the Triple Play program provides daily opportunities for kids to increase physical activity, learn about good nutrition, rebuild their social-emotional assets, and physical literacy as well as engage in creative thinking and expression. This program has three components: mind (healthy habits), body (physical fitness), and soul (interpersonal skills).
On the other hand, the Kaboom Imagination Playground will support the “soul” component by providing fun and high-yield activities that promote interactive experiences for kids. This imagination Playground™ is a playspace concept that delivers unique and cooperative play opportunities. Each set contains a wide variety of parts: cubes, bricks, cogs, curves, and cylinders that fit jointly in ways that enhance kids’ creativity. All these pieces fit together to make immersive play last a long time.
Play Increases Intrinsic Motivation and Boosts Creative Thinking and Self-development
Play has positive benefits for children (and people of all ages). It can drive intrinsic motivation, develop creative thinking, and build a sense of meaning and purpose in every individual. In the article, The Role of Play in Fostering Creativity and Purpose, Caitlyn Quarrington invites us to embrace playfulness across all aspects of life as an opportunity to reimagine how playing might shift our relationships with family, free time, and the communities where we live. Activities that emphasize cooperative learning, communication, and relationship building are a great way to help kids feel connected. These activities also give them an opportunity for social skills practice which can help to rebuild their emotional well-being.
The Boys & Girls Club of Spokane County knows that playful learning offers a pathway for intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development. Intellectual development has proven to build problem-solving, creative thinking, and mathematical skills. Social development requires children to share ideas and express feelings while balancing autonomy and interdependence. Emotional development teaches self-regulation and agency. Physical development helps the child to develop strength, muscle control, coordination, reflexes, and a sense of their body abilities and limit.
What You Can Do to Empower Kids With More Creative Thinking Opportunities
Believe in Me wants to inspire kids to believe in themselves. We believe that by playing, kids learn to understand their physical and social environment while imagining and allowing them to construct new realities.
We are proud to fund amazing programs like Triple Play, and help the Boys and Girls Club of Spokane to fulfill its mission of empowering all young people to reach their full potential through opportunities to realize academic success, good character, citizenship, and healthy lifestyles.
Thanks to your donations and your support, this grant award is possible! We are changing the lives of more than 1,000 children and youth in the Spokane area. You can donate today to keep supporting our community and help a kid today!
Click here to learn more about the Boys and Girls Club of Spokane.
