Why Play is so Crucial for Development & The Science Behind it with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson

Raising Good Humans

Dear Media, Aliza Pressman

Toddler, Sinai, Mount, Doctor, Mother, Science, Dear, Baby, Motherhood, Parenting, Psychology, Pressman, Education, Humans, Seedlings, Kids & Family, Adolescence, Children, Child, Childhood, Parent, Good, Raising, Infant, Media, Aliza

4.6 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this powerful and refreshingly playful conversation, Dr. Tina Payne Bryson returns to talk about The Way of Play—her newest book and a much-needed reminder that play isn't just fun, it's foundational. We dive into the science and soul of play—from its impact on brain development and emotional intelligence to how it builds lifelong connection and resilience. We also discuss why roughhousing isn’t risky, how to play when you’re too tired to try, and why letting kids lead the way in play is so important.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The following podcast is a Dear Media production.
0:09.5	Welcome to Raising Good Humans Podcast.
0:12.5	I'm Dr. Lisa Pressman.
0:14.4	This is Dr. Tina Payne-Bricen.
0:17.7	And I'm so excited to have you back for the 780 second time.
0:22.3	I love it.
0:23.0	If people don't know you already, you are brilliant.
0:26.9	You are probably, I would say, the first person, you and Dan Siegel, the first people who co-authored the most game-changing books in the field.
0:40.1	Wow.
0:40.9	I think about that, and it was like the beginning of a totally new era that has gotten more
0:46.0	popular with the rise of social media and content being more available.
0:52.0	But you were both together the first to say, hey, we could look at
0:58.2	our parenting in a different kind of way and a much more thoughtful approach, considering
1:05.3	brain development and child development and human development and psychology and the whole shebang. So I really, like,
1:14.2	I just always get so honored that you're here, even though you're also a very dear friend.
1:18.9	Yes.
1:19.6	But I'm honored that you're a very dear friend. Yes. Oh, my gosh. Thank you. You're one of my
1:24.3	very favorite humans in the whole world. And so I just, it was like my highlight of the week knowing I was going to come hang out with you. Yay. And I just want to brag a little bit more, which is not only are you such a brilliant contributor to this field, you also, every time you do something, you kind of put whatever it is that you're trying to sell on the back burner because you're trying to heal the world every day.
1:52.2	And so you had a new book come out very recently, The Way of Play.
1:56.5	Yeah.
1:57.4	And it came out exactly when the L.A. fires started.
2:02.3	It did. And you were in L.A. And you are in Pasad exactly when the L.A. fires started. It did. And we're in L.A.
	...

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