About Play Drive

My name is Lukasz Liebersbach, and I am the founder of Play Drive. I was raised by a single mum in an apartment block in Poland in the 1980s. Although I had no siblings, I was never alone, because there were always children around, ready to play. We spontaneously formed groups, explored the neighbourhood and hung from the monkey bars – our central meeting spot.

I know it’s easy to see one’s own childhood through rose-tinted glasses. Yet when I see today’s children spending so much time supervised by adults and in front of screens, I can’t help feeling that they are missing out on something deep and important.

As a father of two energetic rascals, I do my best to give them access to free play by keeping an open house and organising lots of get-togethers with their friends.

What worries me is that play is disappearing from our surroundings. When I encourage my kids to go outside, they often come back saying, “There’s no one to play with.”

I believe that, as a society, we need systemic solutions that help children regain access to free play. I started Play Drive to raise a voice for it – here I will share research on the benefits of play, draw attention to its decline and show solutions that bring it back. The thoughts and observations are my own; I use AI to help with the style.

The name “Play Drive” refers to children’s instinctive drive to play with others. Like other social mammals, we develop through play the interpersonal and physical skills that help us thrive in life.

Every change starts with awareness. I hope to inspire others to see the value of free play and the need to protect it for our children’s wellbeing.

Lukasz Liebersbach