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21 October 21 - Importance of Play for Growing Children - What You Need To Know

Importance of Play for Growing Children - What You Need To Know

More than having fun, physical play is something that all children must do because of its various benefits. From a simple pass-the-ball game to playing in a jumping castle hire Gold Coast inflatable, playing can develop a child’s mind, body, and imagination in many ways.

Recent studies, however, show that playtime for kids has been declining. Tight school schedules, health protocols, quarantines, fewer safe playing grounds, and exposure to digital gadgets have all contributed to the decline.

The World Health Organization prohibits screen time for children who are not yet two years old and no more than one hour for those who are aged two to four years old. This is to encourage the kids to engage more in physical play.

Why Should Children Play?

  1. Play can teach the child to be independent.

Children often rely on adults for almost everything. But if you let them play by themselves, they learn how to become independent. They can set their own rules. Independent play is also as important as playing with other children. If the child can become comfortable with solitary play, he or she can develop skills to figure out things on his or her own. This is one of the important things an individual can learn early on in life so that he or she can cope with challenges.

  1. Play can build imagination and encourage creativity.

Children can stretch their imagination during playtime. Whether it’s in a role-playing adventure game in a playground or creating something with building blocks - a child can get lost in his or her world. For parents, this is a good thing. Playing by his or her own rules can boost their confidence and train them how to handle and respond to circumstances as they come. If the child is engaged in symbolic play, it can also hone the child’s problem-solving skills. Symbolic play is the ability to pretend that one object is something else. A child can imagine that a long stick is a sword and a tree is a dragon. Quickly imagining a regular object as another to serve a purpose is the initial stepping stone in learning how to solve problems through creativity.

  1. Play can help children learn how to control emotions.

Even as adults, we find some activities that de-stress us when we feel too anxious to go on our daily tasks. We paint, go to the gym, write in a journal, or go to the seaside to relax. These activities are not just distractions to shift our minds from our problems. They are ways to connect with our surroundings to ground us and calm our minds.

Through play, children can also soothe their emotions. These young ones are still in the process of learning how to manage what they feel - anger, sadness, disappointments, joy. Regular playtime can help them reduce stress and anxiety. It can also release excess energy from kids.

  1. Play can strengthen children physically.

Children need to be active to be healthy. Even the World Health Organization recommends that children need to engage in at least 180 minutes of a variety of physical play, 60 minutes of which should be moderate to vigorous intensity.

Activities like playing a sport to bouncing in a jumping castle hire Gold Coast inflatable can let the children have fun while exercising at the same time. These kinds of active play sharpen reflexes, improve gross motor skills, builds muscles, improves movement control, improve bone and growth, increase stamina.

Play is a great teacher for kids. Let your child navigate the world through his terms during his or her playtime.

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