the importance of play...

Are we simply playing in the woods? Well, yes we are, but whilst we are simply playing, there is an incredible amount of development going on, in the form of schemas. 

A schema is basically an urge to repeat an action over and over again to provide the building blocks for behaviour in later life. These behaviours in turn provide connections in the brain enabling the schema to imprint a pattern to be referred to at a later date. Ever wondered why a child repeatedly spins or runs around in circles or only ever plays with toys that have wheels? This is the rotation schema that is taking place