You don’t need to follow the rules
My grandson and I got Turing Tumble as a joint gift for Christmas. It’s a game with switches and ball bearings where you build logic layouts that essentially becomes a mechanical computer. It’s super cool.
Max and I love playing it together. There are 5 or 6 types of switches and the puzzle layouts you need to solve get progressively more challenging. We’re at the 16th puzzle and still haven’t been introduced to all the switches yet and I can tell you this, “It is challenging !”
As we’re progressing through the various levels of the game, I notice that Max is just as interested in the more complex switches we haven’t started using yet, as he is with the ones we’re using to solve the puzzle. I also notice he’s just as interested in playing with the switches and balls at random as he is in trying to use them to solve the puzzle.
“Hmmmm. Maybe there’s a life lesson for me here.”
For Max, to enjoy a toy or game, he doesn't need to follow the playbook word for word nor follow it all the time—he just plays.
So what if we approached life with a mindset of play ? So that no matter what comes at you—your initial instinct were to just play. There’s interesting research that shows groups of children who approach creative problems using unstructured play are more successful when competing against trained professionals with college degrees and discipled approaches.
Play is easy to say but it is likely not your default mindset when it comes to problem solving. While it’s easier to play when you’re on vacation or out for dinner or doing something that is intrinsically fun, Max’s approach simply suggests we look at how we can play no matter what life throws at us.
So the next time the kids are homeschooling or someone calls in sick, or a client changes their mind, or whatever—instead of going straight to the rule book, first ask yourself,
