Original play is a natural process woven into life itself. It is how the body, heart, and spirit remember that we belong. Children don’t need to “practice” play to achieve mastery, nor is it a cultural contest of winners and losers. Play is the language of the child. It is the very nature of how they learn about the world around them. Play is life-sustaining because it restores us to love, trust, and wonder.

From a somatic perspective, authentic play is:

• Relational safety: a felt sense of “I am lovable, and there is nothing to fear.”
• Embodied connection: a flow of movement, touch, sound, and laughter that grounds us in the body.
• Innate belonging: a state of being with one another and with nature, rather than performing for approval.
• Joyful regulation: play helps the nervous system settle, expand, and thrive.

As children grow, authentic play is often reshaped into “cultural play,” where competition, performance, and achievement replace connection. We learn to defend, compare, and measure ourselves rather than experience the wonder of being together. This shift leaves a somatic imprint. The body hardens in defense instead of softening into trust. The heart contracts into fear rather than expanding into joy. Belonging is replaced by “membership”, which is fitting in only if we perform. Our natural capacity for kindness and inclusion gets overshadowed by scoring, winning, losing, and shame. Children who lose touch with authentic play often show signs of stress, anxiety, or disconnection. Their nervous systems adapt to defense rather than connection.

Donaldson reminds us that original play never disappears, rather, it remains within us as a latent capacity, ready to be reawakened. Through a somatic lens, we reclaim it by:

• Slowing down and refusing to be rushed by competition or performance.
• Engaging the body fully: heart, hands, movement, and breath without agenda.
• Practicing co-regulation through play: using presence, rhythm, and joy to restore nervous system balance.
• Including everyone: play is not about sides, scores, or expertise. It is about connection.
• Healing through wonder: allowing ourselves to touch and be touched by life, to feel awe, and to belong.

When families reclaim authentic play, they open a field of safety where children thrive. In these “playgrounds of love,” regulation is restored, resilience grows, and relationships deepen. We discover that play is necessity for thriving nervous systems. Play repairs attachment ruptures by creating safety in the body. Play is a path of mastery, not over others, but within ourselves. Through play, we step out of the cycle of fear, defense, and control. We rediscover what Donaldson calls “the internal glow of a well-touched human.”

We must move away from play as performance. It is about presence. It is how our bodies and nervous systems return to safety, and how our families experience love and belonging. With co-regulation, relational safety, and somatic awareness, every child can grow toward resilience, adaptability, and authentic expression.

Parenting allows children to dance with their natural rhythms. When we meet their body where it is, we give them the felt sense of being understood and that becomes the foundation for trust, love, and growth.