Kids love to play, and as a parent, you should definitely encourage more opportunities for them to do so at home. There are some reasonably obvious benefits for both you and your child if you do, and we will list some of them right here.
#1: Play encourages learning
Yes, your child will learn all kinds of valuable lessons at daycare and at school, but there is much you can do to encourage learning at home. From a very young age, you can give your children building blocks and other age-appropriate learning toys, as not only will they give your children a head start to their education, but they will show them that learning can be fun as well. For your children, this has obvious benefits. And for you? Well, you won’t have to take on all of your children’s homework when they reach school age, as they should have the competence to tackle much of the work they have to do themselves.
#2: Play encourages good behavior
Not all of our children are the angels we want them to be. If you were drawn to our naughty child article, this will be of little surprise to you. Thankfully, the use of play is one way to manage our children’s behavior. For starters, if your children have toys they like to play with, the less likely they are to get bored (and act up) at home. Secondly, some games require a set of rules and boundaries, and these will prepare our children for the rules we set them at home. And finally, your children will learn how to play well with others, and this will be helpful to them in social situations where they have to manage not only their own feelings but the feelings of others too.
#3: Play will expend their natural energy
Do you ever have trouble getting your children to go to sleep? Many parents do, and sleepless nights then ensue. However, if you can encourage your child to play physical games, not only will you give them the opportunity to fine-tune their motor skills (a reason enough in itself), but you will tire them out too! So, an hour or so before bedtime arrives, consider playing a few exercise games with your children, as hopefully, they should then kick up less of a fuss when they have to go to bed!
#4: Play can unleash your child’s creative side
Children are creative beings by nature, but their creative side is often interrupted thanks to the TV, YouTube, and those video games that don’t require a lot of thought. Therefore, give your children plenty of opportunities to showcase their creativity, be that through playing with open-ended toys that can capture their imagination, or through games that incorporate drawing, music, and other such creative endeavours. They might then develop a particular passion for something, and this could benefit them well beyond their school-age years.
Play is fun, but there are many more benefits besides. We have listed just a few, so encourage your child to play more by providing them with the opportunities and resources that they need.
Let us know your ideas too, and share with us the games and toys that have benefited you and your child when raising them at home.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply