We all know that play is fun, but aren’t kids just wasting
time when they’re rough-housing around instead of practicing spelling words,
piano, or taekwondo moves? Well, actually not. If you think about it, the human
species evolved without formal education or traveling sports teams. On a
survival of the fittest planet, play was where children acquired the functioning
and skills that enabled them to problem-solve, cooperate, build human
relationships, make sense of the world, and in other ways become “fit.” These
skills have not gone out of style simply because we have more sophisticated
tools (computers instead of spears) at our disposal.
Using those sophisticated tools, considerable scientific
research has been done on play. Some of the benefits that have been identified
are:
Physical – Play burns up calories and builds both a strong mind
and a strong body. In the large muscle/ gross motor arena, child at play may
crawl, walk, run, reach, climb, jump, bend, throw, catch, balance, rotate, and
so on. In terms of dexterity and fine motor skills, play often involves
handling and manipulating objects and tools.
Social – Most play is highly social and
both teaches and requires that children learn to cooperate, negotiate, take
turns, share, play by the rules, and follow directions.
Cognitive – Neurological studies have shown that play stimulates
brain development, increases exploratory learning, and strengthens memory. Play
is an excellent laboratory for problem solving, decision-making, learning about
cause and effect, about “what if’s”, about spatial relationships, and more. We
all learn much more readily when the process is fun.
Emotional – Children learn about feelings, including how to
process them, how to manage and express them, how to understanding the feelings
of others, and how to feel and show empathy.
Language – Play is rarely silent for any length of time. Children
are testing out sounds and words. A child alone may be narrating his own
activities. Children together are learning about and practicing speaking,
listening, and conversation skills.
Executive Function – Children at play are highly
motivated to learn perseverance, resist impulses, work on self-regulation of
emotions and behaviors, and exert self-control and self-discipline in order to
accomplish the tasks they set for themselves and to successfully engage with
the other players. They are practicing their EF skills on their own initiative
without even realizing it.
Creativity and Imagination – An essential element of
play is the creative brain, as seen in pretend play and fantasy. We don’t have
to teach a child at play to “think outside the box,” they are already doing
that instinctively. Daydreams and a rich inner life are often the seeds for
goals and passions later in life. The challenge is keeping the creativity
vibrant through adulthood.
Resilience – Play helps children use their
imagination to handle adversities such as stress, loss, or illness. The child
can mentally be somewhere else when things are too big to handle, they can
envision and practice real ways to address tough problems, and they can keep
important memories alive—all through play.
