When I run training courses I almost always ask “What’s the best way to learn?”. I get the usual answers such as, “By doing.” I reply “Yes and?” until I get the answer I am looking for: “By having fun!”. If learners enjoy being there, they will learn – you know this from your own experience.

Still, it’s good to be reminded of this as I was by this article by Caelan Huntress, a prolific utiliser of games in training.

Now that you have been reminded, you might like to know that many organisations at the cutting edge of creativity and innovation infuse play into learning. Some create sandboxes for their staff to play in safely, just like the ones most of us did as children. In fact, when I took my young Aussie kids to Canada to be with my wife’s family at an island cottage without sand (but with stunning sunsets and beautiful ancient rocks) I bought sand and built them a sandbox.

When my sisters and brothers-in-law saw me doing this, they thought I was crazy. What happened? My kids and their similarly aged cousins were engrossed by it. They spent endless hours using their imaginations and creating a world they loved being in together. All the while they were developing their minds.

If you haven’t created a sandbox for safe and fun play for your team, please do. And if you’re time poor, or simply need something quickly, let’s talk about my sandbox offerings, which are the business simulation workshops I’ve been writing about and posting videos about on LinkedIn for the past couple of months.

Apologies for the sales pitch but I am so passionate about sandboxes, it would have been rude of me not to offer you to play in one of mine!

Come play with me soon! 😊