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Playing and Physical Development
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| It is imperative that our children participate in regular physical activity and exercise. Playing provides movement that is vital to all children’s physical development and helps prevent childhood obesity. Playing helps children develop muscle control and hand/eye coordination. Playing helps improve each child’s agility, balance, flexibility and overall strength. Playing is an excellent way to burn calories and can help increase the metabolic rate of a child. The effects playing has on a child will last throughout childhood. They will reap the benefits both physically and psychologically. |
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Playing and Emotional Development
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Research has shown that playing, whether in a park or your backyard, is essential for a child’s emotional development. Successful adults have all had a background of playing throughout their lives. Playing helps children to be spontaneous, to be humorous, and to develop positive feelings. Playing builds self-esteem and helps children create a sense of well being. Children playing have a better sense of happiness and increased sensitivity to others. These are all things necessary in overcoming obstacles in life. |
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Playing and Cultural Development
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Playing is vital in helping children learn social and cultural rules of interaction and it helps develop cooperation skills. Playing also helps children to learn self control, compromise and negotiation skills, which are important to their culture. Children learn survival skills, independence, and how to get along with others. Playing helps children build a foundation of social skills that will benefit them as they mature. |
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Playing and Cognitive Development
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Playing helps lead to discovery, verbal judgment and reasoning, as well as developing manipulative skills, creativity and thought processes. Playing is a fantastic tool to help children believe they are competent and capable learners. Children learn about consequence and risk while playing which helps them in their decision making as they grow up. |
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