All children love playtime. Playtime is fun and allows children to interact with their age mates. Play is also good for a child’s mental health. Through play, children get to socialize and be creative.
Therefore, all parents should include playtime in their children’s routines. Experts report that play improves your child’s physical and emotional well-being.
The intellectual benefits of play in children
Enhanced critical thinking skills:
Play improves your child’s critical thinking skills. Through play, your child is able to comprehend the rules of cause and effect. In turn, they are able to form better judgments in different situations.
In particular, puzzle and crossword child games enhance the critical thinking process of your child.
Stimulates positive moods:
Play helps your child be more positive. This is because play involves physical activity. Physical activity is directly linked to increased production of the endorphin hormone responsible for good moods.
Through play, your child will become happier and healthier.
Helps in handling conflict:
Games that involve role-plays undoubtedly help your children handle conflicts. Through such games, they deal with different children and are able to solve their issues on their own.
Subsequently, they are likely to become more courageous and trust their judgment when handling real-life conflict.
Release negative energy:
At times, children can hold negative feelings inside of them. When children engage in physical play, they are likely to release feelings of anxiety or anger. This way, they won’t get involved in bad behavior.
Equality in society:
Unlike adults, children interact with anyone as long as they feel comfortable. When children come together to play, they establish a common ground and meaningful relationships that may last a lifetime. This helps in eliminating the formation of cliques based on financial status, background, and social stigma in the long run.
Encourages curiosity:
Through play, children become more curious. As a result, they become more inquisitive and learn more. This improves their cognitive ability.
Additionally, play helps children improve their creativity. When playing, children are often required to solve certain issues, making them more creative.
The most common ideas for play in children
Occasionally, parents run out of ideas when it comes to playing with their children. If you ever get to this point, consider incorporating the below ideas for play in your children’s routine. Note that the type of games your child engages in depends on their age.
Babies
Small babies also benefit from playtime. Although they cannot talk, sit or crawl, you can still play with them. If you have a newborn, smile and giggle with them. Make funny faces with them as you sway them gently from side to side in your arms.
During this time, your baby is more fascinated by funny faces. Getting a play mat for your baby will also keep them entertained. They will undoubtedly enjoy the bright colors on the play mat.
Additionally, they will engage in physical activity as they kick their hands and legs, trying to reach the hanging objects on the play mat.
You can also spice up your baby’s playtime by holding conversations with them. Although they won’t talk back immediately, this will help them improve their language skills.
Toddlers
As your child grows older, get them toys they can play with. Keep in mind that children love bright-colored objects like blocks, cars, dolls, and balls. So, you can get either of these, and they will undoubtedly enjoy playing with these objects.
Simple puzzles are also great toys for your baby. Your child will not only enjoy playing with them, but also improve their creativity and critical thinking skills. At this age, you can also start reading to your child.
Read them a simple bedtime story every day to stimulate their curiosity and creativity. Moreover, consider getting a coloring or writing book to improve their writing and drawing skills.
Preschoolers
Most preschoolers can do most things on their own. This is because they understand their environment better. As a result, they engage in play that appeals to them. If your child is a preschooler, you won’t have to keep on suggesting games for them.
They will go and play with other children whenever they feel like it. Therefore, create a strict timetable for preschoolers. Ensure they balance schoolwork and play. It would be best to introduce your child to solo activities like building a block tower or solving a slightly complex puzzle at this age.
Doing this will challenge them and expand their thinking capacity.
School-age kids
If your child is in school, ensure they balance schoolwork and play. At this time, your child is independent, and they’ll often do whatever they desire. Always make sure your child gets enough space since physical activity is essential to their cognitive development.
Incorporating playtime into your school-age child’s schedule also improves their concentration levels in school. Encourage your child to play with other children outside and buy constructive toys for them. Child experts advise limiting video games as much as possible.
Other benefits of play in children
Physical benefits of play in children
Play also improves the physical health of your children. Since child play usually involves physical movement, it improves your child’s flexibility and mobility. Moreover, it helps your child gain more strength and stamina in all that they do.
Some physical activities that benefit your children include walking, running, and jumpi
Social benefits of play in children
Child play also offers a broad spectrum of social benefits. Generally, your children learn how to interact with others during playtime. This improves their communication and empathetic skills. Additionally, children also get the unique privilege of listening to and sharing ideas.
Emotional benefits of play in children
When children engage in play, they learn to process emotions. For instance, if they lose in a game, they will learn to process feelings of disappointment and anger. This way, they’ll be able to handle bigger disappointments in the future.
Side effects of not playing
If your child does not engage in play, it can be detrimental to their health. As mentioned earlier, play improves your child’s mental and physical health. So, when children don’t get enough hours of play, they tend to be moody and cranky.
In turn, they are likely to indulge in bad behavior. Without play, children won’t be able to expand their critical thinking and creative skills. And this will affect how they deal with situations later in life.
Lack of play also prevents your child from having a social life. Ultimately, play is essential in your child’s life.
Conclusion
From this article, it is clear that play offers a broad spectrum of benefits to children. Therefore, try as much as possible to play with your children. Dance with them, sing with them, and allow them to play with other children.
If you run out of ideas for play, conduct thorough research on the best games for your children. Then, incorporate these games into your child’s daily timetable. Note that your child’s age significantly affects the type of games they enjoy. So, take time to understand your children’s needs.