The Importance of Play, Toys to You

The Importance of Play

Time for Play, Every Day: It's FUNdamental

Child's play is closely linked to children's intellectual, social, emotional and physical progress. It is more than just fun and games.
Decades of research has demonstrated that active playing in childhood, especially the creative play of 'lets pretend' play with other kids boosts a healthy development across a broad spectrum of important areas.
In fact, the benefits are so impressive that every day of childhood should be a day of play.

But it seems that play is at serious risk today. Many children lack the time, space, and encouragement at home and school to create their own child-powered fun. Video games and other electronic toys that do everything for our child threaten to undermine the whole process of play, with worrying implications for the intellectual and emotional health of our children.

Several trends in education and family life are combining to rob childhood of healthy, creative play:

Too many sedentary hours-often alone-spent looking at screens: televisions, computers, and video games, with their pre-packaged scripts that stunt imagination.
Loss of school playtimes and playgrounds and safe green spaces for children to freely explore nature.
Rushed and overscheduled lives, full of adult-organised or adult-oriented activities.
A glut of toys that take control of play away from children and channel them into violent behaviour modelled on popular TV, movie, and video game characters.
A glut of toys that take control of play and remove the need for creative play for children such as electronic toys that provide all the game play.

THE BENEFITS OF PLAY
Child-initiated play lays the foundations of learning. Through play, children learn to interact with others, to recognise and solve problems, and to feel the sense of mastery that results. In short, play helps children make sense of and find their own place in the physical and social world.

Physical development: The rough and tumble of active play, outdoors as much as possible, is a natural preventive for the current epidemic of childhood obesity. Such play also spurs and helps to co-ordinate children's sensori-motor development.
Academics: A host of studies demonstrate the close link between play-especially social make-believe play-and cognitive growth. Play is tied to creativity, imagination, and out-of-the-box problem-solving skills. It also helps lay the groundwork for later academic success in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Play provides language-rich, hands-on experiences with the real-life physics-earth, water, wind, and gravity-that help children later comprehend the scientific and mathematical expressions of these physical realities. Research also suggests that recess boosts schoolchildren's academic performance.
Social and emotional learning: Research suggests that social make-believe play is related to increases in collaboration, co-operation, empathy, and impulse control, reduced aggression, and better overall emotional and social adjustment.
Sheer joy: The evidence is clear-healthy children of all ages love to play. Experts in child development say that plenty of time for childhood play is one of the key factors leading to happiness in adulthood.

TIPS TO REVIVE PLAY

Reduce or eliminate screen time: Children may be bored or anxious at first, unsure how to entertain themselves. Be prepared with simple playthings, good storybooks, and suggestions for make-believe play to inspire their inner creativity.
Choose simple toys: The child's imagination is the engine of healthy play. Simple toys and natural materials, like wood, boxes, balls, sand and shovels, beeswax, clay, stuffed animals, and generic dolls invite children to create their own scenes-and then knock them down and start over. Battery-driven gadgets distract them from real play.
Encourage outdoor adventures: Sticks, mud, water, rocks, wind-even bugs and weeds-make a paradise for play. Reserve time every day, when possible, for outdoor play where children can run, climb, find secret hiding places, and dream up dramas. If safety is a concern, organize with other parents to take turns monitoring urban playgrounds or streetside play, or to help clean up and maintain local open spaces.
Let your work inspire play: When adults are deeply engaged in work-like cooking, raking, cleaning, or washing the car -their example inspires children to deeply immerse themselves in their play. Children like to help for short periods and then go off and play. Avoid interrupting or taking over play, but be available as needed. Let children know their play is important.
Become an advocate for pro-play policies: Share the evidence about the importance of imaginative play in preschool and kindergarten, and of recess for older children with other parents, teachers, and school officials. Lobby for safe, well-maintained parks in your community. Start an annual local Play Day.

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