What is the importance of play in child development?
“Play is the highest form of research” – Albert Einstein Show Now, you are probably thinking to yourself, “How is this possible?” “What skills?” you might ask.
Cognitive development is your child’s ability to think, understand, communicate, remember, imagine and work out what might happen next. While children are playing, they are also solving problems, creating, experimenting, thinking and learning all the time.
The act of play helps children with their coordination, balance, gross-motor skills (large movements like crawling and walking) and fine-motor skills (smaller movements like picking objects up).
Through play children learn how to share and build friendships, which in turn develops their social skills. They are also able to negotiate with others, share things, cooperate in a group and be kind.
By playing with others, children learn the art of communication. They come to recognize facial expressions and body language. They figure out how to start and carry on conversations and how to express their thoughts and desires in a way that is understood and accepted by others. Developing listening skills at this age is also crucial as knowing what people mean isn’t always easy. Children have to learn to decipher and understand what people are saying as well as what they are not saying. They learn this by listening, observing, and sometimes picking up on very subtle clues during playtime.
Creativity happens when your child’s critical thinking and skill development come together to make something new or different. Creativity fosters mental growth in children by providing opportunities for trying out new ideas, providing new ways of thinking and problem-solving. Creativity is the freest form of self-expression. Giving children the opportunity to express themselves freely and openly gives them a great sense of satisfaction. Through creative expression children can express and cope with their feelings. So you see playing is a great way for children to engage, interact and understand the world around them. Now, you might be wondering, “Okay fine, play can help my child but what kind of play?” Child-driven play is important in order for us to enhance imagination and creativity within a child. When we talk about play as a whole, we are also talking about structured activities like dance classes, gymnastic lessons and other classes but what’s more important is open-ended, undirected play. This kind of play is best for developing the important skills we spoke about. A few benefits of Undirected play is as follows-
Let’s take a look at an example of what an open ended/ undirected play- Pretend play/ Imaginative play As parents, the best way to foster these skills is with a balance of playing with our children and leaving them to their own devices. In my classroom play-based learning looks like a group of learners reading books, identifying the digraphs that they have learnt, some playing with blocks creating things they have seen around them in books or creating their own creations, while others are at the provocation table creating something as per their understanding – using different materials. When a learner wants to join a playgroup in class, the children remind her ‘only 4 at a time’ ( as per my instruction). The child then counts how many children are already at the table by matching the learners to her fingers and decides that she can join them, ‘because 3 and 1 are 4, right Ms Serene?’ It is through these rich experiences and conversations that I am able to understand the child’s concrete understanding of numbers as well as addition. This sure is a lot more engaging and authentic than just going by a workbook page. Play should not be seen as an obstruction to formal learning, nor is it lazy teaching. Purposeful play experiences can be constructed to create deeper learning experiences that a child will remember and internalize forever. Written by: Serene Wentzel Blog references: Share with the world: Posted on: Monday,2020,Apr,Mon What is the importance of play in learning?Play promotes healthy development and critical thinking skills. It reinforces memory, helps children understand cause and effect, and, according to Mendez, helps children explore the world — and their role in it. “Young children learn how things fit together through play.
What is the importance of play in child development PDF?Play is one of the most important needs your child has. It is one of the ways children learn and it also helps children to manage their feelings and to cope with upsetting things that happen in their lives. Play helps build relationships and play is relaxation and fun.
What is play and its benefits?Play Builds Imagination and Creativity
During play, kids stretch their imaginations. They create make-believe games or get lost in pretend worlds. Children act out different solutions while boosting their confidence. They make their own rules and learn how to follow or adapt those rules as needed.
What is the main purpose of playing?While play is crucial for a child's development, it is also beneficial for people of all ages. Play can add joy to life, relieve stress, supercharge learning, and connect you to others and the world around you. Play can also make work more productive and pleasurable.
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