Top Five Ways Children Develop Through Play

1. Play Leads to Discovery of the Physical World (Physics and Math):

Piaget developed his theory of cognitive development primarily through careful observation of his own children. While not everything Piaget proposed has been supported, several of his ideas have stood the test of time. One his ideas which has been supported is this:

“Each time one prematurely teaches a child something he or she could have discovered for himself, that child is kept forever from inventing it and consequently from understanding it completely.” – Jean Piaget 1970. 

2. Play Leads to Creative Thinking and Problem Solving:

This one really leads off of the first point– as children discover their world through play they also are developing the ability to problem solve. Think of a young child trying to connect two trains with magnets. The trains have a positive and negative side. We can step in and show them how they connect, but if we let them learn through active discovery they begin to truly understand how it works. 

In other words, just letting children play with the materials lead to better and more innovative problem solving than did specifically teaching them how to solve the task.

3. Play helps Children Develop Self-Control and Social Skills:

This can occur in a few ways. First, social play in which a few children play a game together and make up a pretend scenario is a natural environment for children to learn and practice self-regulation skills. When children work toward a common goal they have to regulate their impulses in order to cooperate. Children who are more impulsive especially benefit from this kind of play. This is also how children learn about social rules like sharing, negotiating, resolving conflicts and how one must act in a group to get something done

4. Play Builds Healthy Minds and Bodies:

The research on children is limited in this area, but with adults, we know that physical activity/exercise is related to greater physical health, reduced mental stress, and is a buffer for depression and anxiety. This is true for teens as well. It follows that physical play in children would have similar effects. Physical activity play in preschoolers is called physical exercise play and in middle schoolers rough and tumble play. Basically, both of these types of play involve large body movements and exercise.

5. Play Promotes Connection and Relationships:

Play is really how children interact with their world and how they communicate. To connect with them we need to tap into our playfulness as adults. Bonding with children though play can happen in many ways — directly playing with them and immersing yourself in their world will promote a closeness and trust with them, injecting playfulness into routine activities can gain their cooperation and is also make daily life tasks a little more fun, and some rough housing can encourage physical connection and stress release.

original Source: Nature & Thrive

Nutcrackers Daycare Academy We are a family owned and operated academy that provides children with a strong foundation to begin their lives. Our teachers are highly trained and extremely attentive to support your child’s desire to explore and discover. Our passionate staff values the relationships we have with our families and work hard to involve them in all our activities and decisions. Our facility provides an openness inside and out for a child to feel free to explore, create, and learn in a safe, loving and developmentally appropriate environment. Contact at 713-842-7796.

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