The Power of Play
As summer approaches, every parent wants this free time to be the best for their child. Parents are often worried that they are not doing enough for their kids. Especially after looking at social media and seeing all the perfect things families are doing, we focus on filling every hour of our child’s day with productive and fun things. But often, we forget that sometimes it’s best for kids to be just kids. While parents have the best intentions in mind for their child when they think of enrolling them in day camps or other productive activities during summer, what they usually don’t know is that they are doing their children a disservice by not allowing them to play what they want in whatever way they want to.
Unstructured play is essential to a child’s healthy development. It contributes to their cognitive, emotional, social, and physical well-being. The role of play is so vital that it’s considered by the United Nations(UN) as the fundamental right of every child. And summer is the time where your child needs to use their imagination and engage in physical activities instead of sitting in front of a screen or being subjected to a hectic schedule.
How does play impact a child’s mental health
Improves imagination and creativity
Children often mimic adults during playtime and create make-believe scenarios, which allows them to stretch their imagination to the limits. This will enable children to think in abstract ways, which creates a foundation for advanced learning and problem-solving.
Plays a vital role in brain development
Around 90% of brain development happens before kindergarten. Play develops cognitive abilities, improves decision-making skills, supports learning readiness and curiosity, boosts problem-solving skills, promotes free and flexible thinking, enhances attention, and enhances vocabulary and language, just to name a few. While the long-term benefits of play may not be that apparent, it plays a pivotal role in brain development and cognitive abilities.
Teaches your child essential life skills
Play introduces children to a variety of life experiences, especially when playing outside or with other children. They learn how to communicate their needs, manage disputes, understand the behaviors of other children and recover from any setbacks or social conflicts. Being introduced to such experiences early in life helps the child develop better social skills, coping mechanisms to deal with stressful situations, and how to recover from disappointments or setbacks when things don’t turn out their way.
Play might lead to the discovery of passions and interests
When children are given free rein, they tend to gravitate towards the things that naturally interest them and allows them to discover what they’re good at and what they like doing. It could be arts, interest in musical instruments, reading, or even a love for computers, etc. This early discovery could lead them to something they fall in love for their life.
“File:Two kids discovering the fascinating nature.jpg” by Marc-Lautenbacher is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Improves behavioral and emotional intelligence
Play provides children with a way to reduce their anxieties, stress, and irritable emotions. It teaches children how to confront challenging situations and manage their impulses in a healthy and socially acceptable way. It improves their emotional flexibility, resilience, cooperation with others and gives them an improved ability to deal with change and better manage themselves.
Play increases empathy
Through imagination, children can put themselves in various situations and explore new roles and feelings that come along. When playing with friends, they get an early chance to practice and improve their cooperation, sharing, helping, and empathy skills that help them for life to come.
“Luna” by woodleywonderworks is licensed under CC BY 2.0
