Why Play Matters with Cas Holman

October 8, 2026 5:30 pm Griswold House

Join us for this presentation with toy designer and play expert, Cas Holman!

In her recently published book, Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity,  Holman argues that play is a vital human need for adults, not just a childish distraction, and is essential for creativity, problem-solving, and emotional well-being. Our friends from Charter Books will be onsite with Playful available for purchase.

We’re all naturally playful as children, but adulthood often trains us to set that instinct aside in favor of productivity and efficiency. According to Holman, losing touch with this innate sense of play can harm not only our emotional health but also our ability to think creatively and solve problems. Research increasingly shows that play fuels joy, curiosity, imagination, and insight at any age.

Through compelling stories and research, she demonstrates how embracing playfulness can help us:

— Let go of fear and try new perspectives

— Relax, recharge, and build connections

— Nurture creativity throughout life

— Rediscover joy, even during difficult times

Drawing on ideas from psychology, history, art, and design, this book makes a strong case for why play is essential in a culture focused on constant productivity.

*Hero Image: Courtesy of Netflix

About the Speaker:

Cas Holman has been designing objects and spaces for play and investigating the role of play and our cultural systems for two decades . In designing her toy company Rigamajig, she imagined a tool that prioritized process over outcome and valued cooperation and interdependence over independence.

Holman continued to explore the value of playful, open-ended process as a Professor of Industrial Design at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In her own life and the lives of her peers and students, she observed that people who are comfortable playing tend to be more adaptable, and therefore better equipped to handle a world of rapidly changing climate and developing technology.

Now she’s turned her play expertise toward a new challenge: helping adults rediscover how to be playful. Her new book, Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity by Holman and Lydia Denworth,  draws on psychology, history, art, and design thinking to make a powerful case for the vital importance of play for grown-ups in a world obsessed with productivity.

 

Photo by Jenna Jones