Play and Development

Play and Development – How Important is one for the other.

The time old saying of all work and no play makes jack a dull boy is famous for a reason. The reason is that it is very much true, and doctors and experts recommend regular playing activities as being crucial to the proper and healthy development of a child.

To make sure that your child enjoys life to the full, it is essential that you give them the chance to enjoy every element that life has to offer. That means active play and a chance to socialize with children of their own age, all go a long way to make your child confident, understanding and develop proper behavioral and social skills, not to forget actively grow up while engaging in all kinds of physical and mind challenging games and activities.

With so much to see and do, and explore, your child will be able to perceive the world in a new light and utilize their creative skills to seek new opportunities, learn new ways of doing things, and exploring exciting ways to discover all that life has to offer. It is a life changing important experience for every child, and if you can give them that, it means that you have promised them the chance to develop and grow to their best potential!

Why Your Child Needs To Play?

If you don’t want them to be dull, it is one good reason. The other one is that it is as essential to the proper development of the child, as proper learning and physical coordination is critical for their proper growth.

What play time ensures for your child is the opportunity to give their creative and cognitive skills a free reign. During playtime, your child is free to utilize their creative imagination to the full, and explore new and exciting games which are enjoyable and aide them in realizing their potential. Without the chance to do something new, try out a unique drawing style or playing actively, your child cannot hope to become the fastest athlete, or the next Picasso or inventor! Play time is the best time for them to realize their own talents and enjoy the most unique and memorable time of their lives.

According to experts, play is the best opportunity for the child to develop a host of important skills, like:

Dexterity
Physical agility
Creative imagination
Sound social skills
Emotional strength
Behavioral stability

By engaging in play activities, children develop the talent to interact and engage with their surroundings and adopt the best ways on how to respond to the various elements in the environment. It is a unique learning process which is sure to prove very effective for the child, who gets to experience life with their own senses and abilities.

Toddlers playing with other children show improved signs of emotional maturity and social competence with time and continued interaction. Play is an essential part of the overall development of your child, which ensures complete assimilation of physical, social and intellectual growth and development.

Importance of Outdoor and Active Play

The outdoors is one place where your child can grow unmitigated and give free reign to their capabilities and talents. Playing outdoors and engaging in active play, has been recognized to be very important for the proper growth and development of young children.

Outdoor play helps the children achieve many of their developmental milestones, which include fun and mind expanding activities like,

Exploration
Gross and fine motor skill development
Risk taking
Absorption and assimilation of great amounts of basic knowledge

Besides the emotional and behavioral development, outdoor play also ensures effective physical and healthy development of your child. With play, you get to ensure numerous benefits for your child which include,

Physical exercise
Development of small and large motor skills
Cardiovascular endurance
Movement skill acquisition
Hand eye coordination
Decreased chances of obesity in active children

Outdoor play gives your child the chance to enjoy the fun of,

Experimenting
Exploring
Reconfiguring
Influencing change
Pushing their limits, and
Discovering their talents

Also your child can enjoy the great benefits of,

Learning about the outside world
Linking and learning about their own self and the surrounding environment
Release their pent up or surplus energy in a positive way
Better health by virtue of being out in the fresh open air

By choosing outdoor play for your child, you can give them a chance to enjoy life and grow to become healthy and mature individuals.

Different Types of Play to Help With Development

Your child needs to engage in different types of play in order to develop and grow and become active individuals. These include options like,

Constructive play – these include activities like block building or a finger puppet show, which showcase your child’s chance of developing some very fine motor skills, and developing a sound self-esteem.
Sensory play – it includes games which stimulate the senses and include tactile, visual and sound experiences
Social play – the games which include interaction with other children, and help develop empathy and social skills
Practice play – games which involve repeated movements like kicking, jumping, twirling or hopping, in order to achieve complete mastery at that game continue until your child reaches adulthood

Your child can also engage in solitary play, or work parallel to other children without actually interacting with them, imitating their friends in playing fun games and engaging in cooperative play. All these forms of play are crucial in the complete development of your child.

The Role of the Parent in Play and Development

Parents can make all the difference in the development of their child, by offering great opportunities for them to learn, grow and explore. Make sure that you provide all chances for them to expand their imagination, develop sound motor skills, display behavioral and emotional maturity and explore their talents as they learn about the world.

The need is for parents to be with them, every step of the way. With complete support, a child can reap the benefits that are achievable through play and be ensured subsequent proper development.