Recently I had a child ask me to play with her so I willingly obliged and she handed me a toy horse and told me I was the mom of her two horses. I quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing and he could not play how she wanted me to. My imagination was drawing a blank and my improvisation was dormant. I remember playing as a kid and the simplest things were so entertaining.
Play is such an important part of childhood and it should never be inhibited. There’s more to it then the child simply playing with magnetic tiles and blocks to keep themselves entertained while mother cleans. Let’s go over a few of the benefits of child play.
Imagination
Being allowed to pretend or the imaginative is very important and begins as young as the age of two years old. Children should be encouraged to use their imagination and be creative. Being able to transform building blocks into ships and airplanes is only part of using their imagination.
Another part of imaginative play is role play. Pretending to be a superhero or an astronaut or a parent is how a child comes to terms with the world around him and realizes that different people play different roles in their lives.
Social skills
Having acceptable social skills is very important in children and as toddlers you will see these children played next to each other but not necessarily together but as they get a little older they will begin to interact with each other by negotiating, cooperating and sharing.
Physical development
Stick and stack tiles and other toys are great for play time but don’t neglect the physical aspect. Play does assist physical development in quite the same way as exercise does for us. For example, in order to learn how to skip you must be able to balance. Climbing trees builds strength and playing sports involves hand eye coordination. Not only that but physical activity helps kids to workout energy and grumpiness, helps them to stay at a healthy weight and also can be very crucial to sleeping.
Allowing your child to build the skills will help them to be able to dress in feed himself when the time comes, helping him to be and feel independent.
Emotions
Take children a long time to be able to express what they’re feeling and words so they need other outlets. Physical play, pretending, art and other activities or how children can express that they have been hurt or upset or even that they are happy and content.
A good example of this is if your child does not normally of a violent demeanor but while you were playing he pushes you or snatches something away from you, he may be trying to express something that he has experienced recently.
Playing with your child is key to building his self esteem because of the attention that you give him during that time but allow him to lead during playtime. Whether he wants to dress up as cowboys or pretend the tiles are cookies, showing him that you except his make believe world and that whatever he’s interested in is important to you will help him understand your love for him and to be calm and confident in his thoughts. More on this.