Children are meant to play. Due to their limited understanding of this world, there are no more suitable methods for them to learn other than learning by playing. Playing contributes to the healthy development of their brain, body, feelings and various skills. Either indoor or outdoor, it helps them to understand how the world works at their own pace. We can generally list the benefits as below:
- Develops healthy physical body and physical skills
Perhaps the most obvious benefit, playing improves strength and endurance of the muscles. Depending on the type of activities, children will also reap the benefits of improving their proprioception and balance. They could discover any latent talent for certain sports too. Everybody has their own distinctive potential, so unleash it!
- Improve brain cognition
Healthy body is a sign of a healthy mind too. Various types of activities stimulate a healthy though-process and problem-solving mind, thus in turn stimulates creativity, imagination and intelligence.
- Promote communication skill
Playing together with other people requires mutual understanding and this understanding can only be achieved with a clear interaction with everyone. Children will learn about various words for effective communication and understanding instruction. The play can be structured for the children to communicate verbally or through body language, or even through reading or written signs to improve their reading skill.
- Healthy emotional growth
Through winning, they will improve self-esteem. Through losing, they’ll learn how to tolerate defeat and march forward even if life drags them down. Playing encourages them to explore feelings in a healthy way. Learning to cope with various types of emotion will shape them as thoughtful people with empathy towards others.
Of course, these benefits cannot be achieved without the collaboration from the adults, especially parents and teachers. We are responsible for structuring the plays to be fun, interactive and suitable for their ages. With all the endless benefits of playing, let the children play!