7 Benefits of Play You May Not Have Known

7 Benefits of Play You May Not Have Known

Play. It’s more important than you might think. The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has even stated that play is a right of every child! We love that! Yet there remain adults (not kids, of course), who are sceptical about the benefits of play. They think that it doesn’t ‘teach’ children anything and that play is a waste of time.  Is it? Let’s find out …

7 Benefits of Play Kids Can’t Be Without

Well we could be here all day, but we’ve narrowed down seven benefits of play to share with you. Play helps you child to:

1. Develop Their Social Skills – by playing with others, they learn about sharing and taking turns.
2. Advance Their Physical Development – running, jumping and climbing are great physical movements which your child does naturally when playing.
3. Help Them Solve Conflicts – there’s always someone who doesn’t like something which is happening. Playing helps your child develop the skills needed to solve those tricky moments in life.
4. Stimulate Their Imagination & Creativity – whether it is role playing something they’ve seen you do or creating ideas of their own, creativity knows no bounds when playing!
5. Grow Their ‘Theory of Mind’ – the ability to walk in someone else’s shoes, helps your child to develop tolerance and compassion for others.
6. Develop Their Language Skills – both verbal and nonverbal language skills are needed to go far in this world. Play helps your child to develop these in a fun and supportive environment.
7. Improve Their Self Esteem & Self Confidence – through trial and error, working with others and learning new skills, play helps your child boost their self-confidence and self-esteem levels in a fun way.

Are you convinced about how great play is yet? We are! Want to know more about how you can help your child play?

Amazing Ways to Play with Your Child

Playing every day with your child is enjoyable no matter what the weather. Some of the ways you can play with your child include:

• Visit the park – kick a ball, throw a frisbee or just climb on the jungle gym. You could even take a giant bubble wand and spend time making and chasing bubbles!
• Play dress up – whether you’re Spiderman or a Princess, playing dress up is so much fun for everyone!
• Get building – blocks, Playmobil or sticks, the fun is in the construction and the planning of your creations.

If your child is a big fan of screen time, it might pay for you to read our article 7 Reasons Children’s Screen Time Should Be Limited. Needless to say, we think play is far more important!