when children play there is a certain magical element to it. They can pretend and imagine and have absolutely no worries or inhibition about anything.
It is also very beneficial to their development. Children need to play in order to develop and physical, social and mental growth.
Playtime can actually make your child smarter. Interacting with toys is the main method by which children can acquire a lot of the basic skills that they need. They can learn how things work, move and function as well as learning to manipulate their own hands and fingers. Children generally learn about colors, numbers, letter, shapes and sizes through playing with toys.
It’s also important for the social aspect. Learning how to take turns, negotiate and compromise are all part of playing and growing.
Playing is often about self control and following rules and requires the child to learn impulse control. Children who play, usually score higher on tests relating to social responsibility. Toys often times come with rules themselves. Magnetic building blocks will have sides that connect each other and sides that repel each other. The child may get frustrated that some sides won’t stay but they will soon learn to control that impulse.
Children also get stressed and playing can help them to work that out. They are learning so much and taking in new information all day every day and it can be overwhelming. Bringing familiar toys to an unfamiliar setting can help the child to remain calm and have something to focus on.
Play can also improve attention span, memory and also concentration. The same focus used when playing with a certain toy or figuring out how to put together certain pieces of a toy like stick and stack toys, is the same kind of focus that will one day be used to study or take a test.
Even physical development is improved by playtime. Playing with something like, again, magnetic building blocks helps the child to manipulate his muscles to hold things, carry things, take them apart, put them together as well as teaching other fine motor control skills. Even letting your child run around and climb trees and swing builds strength and muscle in your little one.
You don’t even have to buy all the most expensive and new toys in order to teach your children these important lessons. Simple, even second hand, cheap toys will work just as well. Here are some examples of toys you can get for your child without breaking the bank.
- As mentioned magnetic building blocks or regular blocks promote fine and gross motor skills.
- Bubbles help with eye development and visual tracking.
- Dolls inspire imaginative and pretend play.
- Boxes promote creativity.
- Bowls show cause and effect as well and stimulate hearing.
So, as you can see, you can almost use household items to promote the areas where you child should be learning.