Teach your kids the power of play
This summer, make time for play. This summer, make time to play as a family. For children, the benefits of play are endless. For families, the benefits of playing together are irreplaceable.
Albert Einstein believed that “Play is the highest form of research,”
Fred Rogers taught “play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning, but for children, play is serious learning.” Why not make play a family affair this summer? You can join in, dress up, get dirty, get creative, build, create, invent, explore, and inquire.
It can be inside or outside, by the water or in the trees, at the park or in the kitchen.
It can be active, imaginative, quiet or loud. You can talk or pretend, make-believe or re-create.
Just Play, for the fun of it. Play connects to a child’s growth and development in every way.
Interactive Play promotes development in the five components of Social-Emotional learning and connects to B.C.’s Redesigned Curriculum’s Core Competencies: self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social-awareness.
Children who play together, develop the ability to empathize, recognize and manage their emotions, make positive choices about personal and social behavior, and learn how to form positive relationship.
This is especially true when these skills are modelled through interactions with family members such as siblings, parents, and grandparents.
Time away from school in the summer creates conditions for play unlike any other time of year. It is a gift of time, play time. It is an opportunity to put down the device, shut off the show, and silence the screen. How much time are we plugged in anyway? Unplug and play!