THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY
Playing is an important part of a child’s development. When children are at play, they are free to explore and practice new roles. They are able to learn about a variety of materials, acquire social abilities, and learn to cope. Play helps children actively demonstrate what they feel and think about all the different parts of their lives. Children take their play very seriously and the opportunities for varied types of play are necessary in any quality family childcare program.
When you look at your daily schedule, make sure you have scheduled opportunity for different types of play. Children often need some downtime and there are certain types of play that allow them to relax. Schedule both structured and unstructured opportunities for the children. Children need time to play independently. Playing as a group or with another child teaches children cooperation. Being observant during play time will help you to determine how long play periods should be. When the children become loud or whinny then it’s time to introduce a different type of activity. Understanding individual temperaments and preferences will assist you in allotting an appropriate amount of time for free play.
When young children are playing, they are also learning. Let’s examine how play contributes to a child’s healthy development in some important learning domains:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT:
A child learns about the world around them and how to interact with it. They learn problem solving skills, imagination, and develop concentration and attention skills.
Pretending is a very important part of young children’s play. While pretending small children can feel “big and in charge”. They can take on roles that are not usually available to them. They can try on different personalities and approaches to call attention to themselves. Pretending allows children to work on their feelings about the world they live in. Play areas such as grocery store, kitchen, and restaurant allow the children to develop cognitive skills.
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:
Physical play, such as handling a ball, promotes gross and fine motor skill development. Play that includes games like peekaboo or hide and seek teaches young children to feel confident that some things can go away and come back again. Opportunities to play outdoors and indoors should be scheduled for the children.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT:
Playing together with one or more child allows the child to practice and develop the skills needed to interact with others. Play allows children to explore and practice adult roles. An area in your childcare that has dress-up clothes, hats (fireman, police, hard hat, pirate, racecar driver, etc), baby dolls, and blocks encourage cooperative play.
LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Play helps children use their language and build on what they hear from others. Music especially singing songs together builds the children’s vocabulary. Repetition is important for young children. They often want you to read the same story over and over again and they will finish your sentences.
Often working parents worry about having ‘quality time’ with their child. Share with the parents the value of play and how you have provided opportunities for different types of learning through play in your family childcare curriculum. Share with them some of the songs or games their child particularly enjoys so that they may sing the songs or play the games with them at home. Share with the parent how play can help their child meet many developmental milestones.