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The Importance Of Play
Why is play important? We know that children learn through play. But what do they learn? Do different kinds of play make a difference? How can we encourage the right kind of play?
Play based activities allow children to learn complex skills and concepts in simple stages. Play gives them confidence in themselves and in their ability to learn. Play makes learning fun! It is essential for childrens' social, emotional, physical and cognitive development (4).
When a baby drops a cup from the high chair they learn about gravity. When their parent picks it up they learn about cause and effect. When a child plays with blocks, they are learning about basic maths concepts, counting, patterns, measurement, balance and weight differences. When a child plays with threading toys (beads and lacing toys) they are developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination (1).
Group games and board games help children learn to cooperate, follow rules, practice general life skills and develop vocabulary by trying out new words (2). Toddlers make sense of their emotions in a safe context by pretend or role playing. Fears can be eased by acting out a scene with a favourite toy. The toddler learns that mummy will return to collect them from daycare and that the doctor will make them feel better (3). Active play such as sports, hopscotch, riding a bike or climbing trees helps develop gross motor skills and general health and well being.
To assist children in their learning through play, provide them with opportunities to explore their surroundings. Let them investigate the outdoors, create mud pies and water fight! (within water restrictions of course), they will learn about form and spacial concepts. Give them play dough (see recipe here), old clothes, shoes and kitchen utensils so they can pretend play. Blocks, art materials and musical toys all help develop creativity and encourage free thinking. These self led activities provide great opportunities for discussion with your children, helping them consolidate their findings by asking questions.
I love the 'why' phase that children go through! I really enjoyed my children's questions and observations of the world. e.g. "where does rain come from?" "where do the clouds come from?" "where are the dinosaurs now?" "Why did they all die?" (My personal favourite when Haydon was 2!). These questions and the answers and time you spend together are wonderful trust and bonding experiences that young children need from you.
As they get older, children further develop physical and social skills through sports. Board games encourage problem solving strategies and refine decision making skills (4).
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