importance of children's games

 

importance of children's games

 

 

Play takes many forms, but the heart of play is pleasure — an important component in learning.

Some people think of play as the opposite of work. They think of it with goofing off, being lazy, lack of achievement, or, at best, recreation. "Stop playing and get to work!" Yet, as many of you probably know, it is through play that we do much of our learning. We learn best when we are having fun. Play, more than any other activity, fuels healthy development of children — and the continued healthy development of adults.

Play takes many forms, but the heart of all play is pleasure. If it isn't fun, it isn't play. We play from birth on — we play using our bodies (building with blocks) and our minds (fantasy play). We use words to play (jokes, wit, humor) and we use props (blocks, toys, games). While the exact nature of play evolves, becoming more complex as we grow, play at all ages brings pleasure. 

 

What Young Children Know

Play enhances every domain of a child's development. Gross-motor skills, such as walking, kicking, or skipping, can be strengthened when a toddler pushes a toy grocery cart or an older child jumps rope. When a young child kicks a ball across the room, she is practicing coordination by balancing on one foot to kick with the other.

Fine-motor and manipulation skills are developed while a child builds and colors a sign for a backyard tree house. When throwing and catching a ball, a child practices hand-eye coordination and the ability to grasp.

Children practice and develop language skills during play. A child's play with words, including singsong games and rhymes that accompany games of tag, can help him master semantics, practice spontaneous rhyming, and foster word play.

The child's cognitive capacity is enhanced in games by trial and error, problem solving, and practice discriminating between relevant and irrelevant information. Play requires the child to make choices and direct activities and often involves strategy, or planning, to reach a goal.