What are the 8 categories of play?
Carson Skiles
2025-07-08 06:47:25
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: 13
According to research by Dr. Stuart Brown, there are eight different types of play personalities: the joker, the kinesthete, the explorer, the competitor, the director, the collector, the artist/creator, and the storyteller. The joker loves being the class clown and delights in nonsensical play. The kinesthete needs to move and physically play, just for the sake of moving. The explorer loves to indulge in new experiences whether physical, mental, emotional or relational. The competitor thrives on winning and being the best. The director loves organizing and dictating, often taking the reins in directing the flow of play in groups. The collector loves to curate their collections whether experiential or material. The artist/creator finds joy in making things. The storyteller is interested in unlocking stories and tapping into imagination.
Gay Ferry
2025-06-25 02:26:59
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: 10
The 8 Play Personalities are all about different ways people enjoy play.
1) The Director is the person who might enjoy planning the team outing even more than the outing itself.
They are detail-oriented, list-making, box-checking dynamos who love to plan.
2) The Artist / Creator is someone who plays by making things.
3) The Kinesthete is always active, always doing something, always in motion.
4) The Joker loves to laugh and make others laugh.
5) The Competitor loves to win.
6) The Collector gets joy from finding, gathering, sorting, and collecting things.
7) Storytellers are extremely imaginative and love to be creative, but in a different way from the Artist / Creator.
8) The Explorer loves to see new places, people, and things throughout the world.
Dr. Stuart Brown unpacks the biological drive to play and shares why play is as important as sleep or nutrition, and how understanding the play personalities can help us connect and work better with people.
Read also
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- How does play change with age?
- What are the different types of play as per Piaget?
- What are different styles of play?
- What type of play is most typical for 2 and 3 year olds?
- How has play evolved over time?
- What type of play does a 2 year old engage in?
- What is Vygotsky's play theory?
- What are the different styles of Piaget?