About This Lesson
Play is a powerful part of learning and wellbeing, especially during the winter months when students may need extra support with engagement, regulation, and connection. In schools and at home, play helps children build relationships, manage emotions, and stay motivated, and it looks different for every learner.
This activity helps students learn how play is communicated through signals and invitations, such as body language, shared interests, or simple verbal cues. By practicing play signals through role-play, students gain confidence navigating social interactions while learning that play should always feel safe, respectful, and optional for everyone involved.
Here’s what you’ll get
- Role-play scenarios focused on play signals
- Clear, concrete examples of invitations to play
- Autism-affirming social communication supports
Why you’ll love this activity
- Reduces anxiety around social play
- Supports social communication skill-building
- Centers consent, choice, and comfort
Ways to use
- Social skills groups
- Speech or counseling sessions
- SEL instruction
- Autism support classrooms
What is Permission to Play?
Permission to Play is the wellbeing skill of recognizing play as essential and giving ourselves and others the freedom to engage in joyful, curiosity-driven activities without guilt or pressure.
As life gets busier, play often fades. Academic demands increase, schedules fill up, and many students (and adults) begin to believe that play is something you earn after being “productive.” Permission to Play challenges that idea by teaching that play is a powerful practice for learning, emotional regulation, connection, and resilience.
When students are given permission to play in ways that feel authentic to them, they learn that play is a meaningful part of wellbeing at school, at home, and throughout life.
Science of Permission to Play:
The science is clear: play is biologically essential. Neuroscientists have identified dedicated brain systems for play in mammals, showing that play supports learning, creativity, emotional regulation, and social connection.
Across the lifespan, play helps us explore ideas, solve problems, build identity, and connect with others. Children use play to make sense of their experiences and develop flexible thinking skills. Adolescents and adults who engage in play report greater joy, stronger relationships, and higher life satisfaction. For older adults, play supports social connection, mobility, and cognitive health.
Play is also deeply inclusive. For autistic individuals and other neurodivergent learners, honoring diverse play styles can reduce anxiety, support regulation, and foster a sense of belonging. When play is voluntary, joyful, and self-directed, it becomes one of the most accessible tools for wellbeing.
Benefits
Regular, meaningful play can help students, families, and educators:
- Improve emotional regulation and stress management
- Increase engagement, motivation, and focus
- Strengthen relationships and social connection
- Support creativity, curiosity, and flexible thinking
- Foster inclusion by honoring diverse play styles
- Boost overall wellbeing and life satisfaction
Learn more about the science of play.
Looking for more Permission to Play Resources?
- Explore the free Permission to Play Unit Study, which includes teaching slides, additional worksheets and activities, and even IEP and BIP recommendations tailored specifically to students with autism.
Proof Positive’s resources are and will always be free. Be well!
Bonus access to full lesson plans and unit studies on the skills of happiness at our Skill Center.
