THE IMPORTANCE OF play in child development

WE’VE ALL heard, “All work, no play,” but for children, the play can also be the work. During childhood development, the activities that may seem less essential to us can significantly impact their progress. Taking the time to understand the different, meaningful aspects of a child’s day could make their actions even more apparent to you.

RECOGNISING THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY IN YOUR CHILD

Take play, for example. It may seem merely like the break children get from other foremost activities. However, those times are instrumental in your child’s development. The importance of play can be seen in the outstanding benefits on their brain development, muscle development, and even their growing social skills.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY FOR COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Children aid in their healthy brain development by participating in play without even realising it.

CREATIVE THINKING

The American Academy of Pediatrics explains the importance of play: “Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practising adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers.” As children create their places to explore, they understand the world around them. Those thoughts that may not make sense to you are young children making their sense of the environment.

As they make their ideas and decisions in play, creative thinking becomes more confident. Free play, specifically, allows children to come up with games and explore. Along with that, pretend play leaves room for those fake scenarios and imaginative characters that children love to dream up on their own.

IMPROVED LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Children are using their surroundings in learning to speak from the very beginning. Whether it be interactive play with other children or adults or by themselves, finding new ways to communicate means practising just that, communication. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders explains that the best skills develop “...in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others”. Play provides just that as children grow in their language development.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY FOR PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

While it may seem obvious that the importance of play would involve physical development, it is incredible to identify how it occurs.

STRENGTHEN MUSCLES

When your child participates in active play, they can work different muscle groups and increase coordination simultaneously. Even a game as simple as tag gets children active and working their muscles, while having a good time doing it. When your child does not feel as drawn to be active, something they consider play could be the perfect solution.

BODY COMPOSITION AND FLEXIBILITY

Overall, children are far more flexible than adults. Dr Paul R. Stricker shares that these changes can also change the sports and activities a child is interested in, or even more or less talented at. As they approach puberty, their flexibility changes, along with many other factors.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY FOR EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Learning empathy & impulse control

When children engage in play with other children, they must practise sharing and consider the feelings of others. Play allows growth in this by giving children a reason to interact out of a controlled environment. While creating scenarios, children are also learning to see things from another point of view. They know to see the world as universal rather than an egocentric perspective.

Creating friendships

Making new friends can be difficult at any age. Children finding ways to interact with their peers stems from the importance of play. Once a child can create a bond through shared interests or activities, they have the chance to develop those emotional and social skills.

Taken from https://carithersgroup.com/.