Welcome back to Voices of Your Village and I got to hang out and chat about play. Ya'll, play is wildly important and underrated and we get to dive into why it's so important, what it does and also frankly, how it can make your life so much easier as a parent, as a teacher, as a caregiver. It's your classic win -win. I got to hang out with Dr. Jacqueline Harding. She is an international child development and education expert. She's recognized for her work advising government, practitioners, and parents. Dr. Harding is an honorary visiting research fellow at Middlesex University. Her qualifications include a PhD in child development, master's in education, and advanced studies in neurophysiology. She also represented the UK in developing essential digital criteria and establishing best practice for broadcasters, parents, and teachers across Europe. Her latest book is called The Brain That Loves to Play. It was so fun to get to hang out with her, to get to chat about play, and at the end of the episode, Rachel and I break it down and talk about the practical aspects of bringing this into our day to day parenting. Alright folks, let's dive in.  Connect with Dr. Jacqueline Harding: Website: https://www.drjacquelineharding.com/ LinkedIn: Dr. Jaqueline Harding- Vallance  Instagram: DrJacqueline.harding Order the book: The Brain that Loves to Play: A Visual Guide to Child Development, Play, and Brain Growth  Connect with us: Instagram: @seed.and.sew  Podcast page: Voices of Your Village Seed and Sew's Regulation Quiz: Take the Quiz Order Tiny Humans, Big Emotions now!  Website: seedandsew.org Music by: Ruby Adams and Bensound This show is brought to you by BetterHelp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices