SubscribeYou’ve no doubt heard the term “Oh, that’s child’s play.” It tends to imply that a particular task is easy, simple and of not much importance. But to a child, child’s play is essential to their mental, social, emotional, and physical development.
All children love to play. But what we may not know is the importance of play in a child’s life. Play is essential to every area of a child’s growth and development. It is essential for them to put their energy to good use. Motor skills, stamina and strength are all strengthened through play sessions. Sensory learning develops mostly through play. Physical development through play is significant as without it the child would not be able to develop normally.
Children possess a natural curiosity. By learning and exploring their surroundings they gradually make sense of their environment. Parents and educators alike can support this learning activity by ensuring age-appropriate toys, materials and environments are available to the child. Play is essential to learning and helps them discover new things about the world.
Play also teaches children the basic concepts of colors, counting, building things and problem solving. While a child is playing their thinking and reasoning skills are very active. Children will also learn about obeying rules, negotiating, sharing and how to relate to one another. Children will also learn about belonging to a group and being part of a team. A child obtains and retains friends through play.
Play fulfills many needs including a sense of accomplishment, successfully giving and receiving attention, and the need for self-esteem. Play is emotionally satisfying to children and will help them grow a strong sense of self. They learn about fairness, and through pretending learn appropriate ways of expressing emotion such as anger, fear, frustration, stress and discover ways of dealing with these feelings. So encourage your child’s play.
Finger paintings, mud pies, building great cities with blocks and coloring in are all exciting activities for kids. One excellent idea is to erect a kid’s play tent and pretend to go camping in the lounge room. Kids grow up fast so make sure they make the most of it.
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