Value of play - play is vital to growing kids

February 24, 4:03 PMParenting ExaminerKaren Deerwester

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Kids who play with blocks score higher on language tests!

Play is the way! 

Play is the way children learn - it opens the eyes and ears to new experiences and it lights up the brain with neural activity.  Play is the language of childhood - it follows the unique logic of imagination that allows children to prepare for real world situations and challenges.  Play is what makes us human - it transcends the ordinary using laughter, optimism and flexibility.

Scientific American recently published an article titled The Serious Need for Play.  The article warns us that children are playing less to the detriment of children's development.  Children seem less skilled at problem solving, facing age-appropriate struggles and managing social conflicts.  Lisa Murphy, the Ooey Gooey Lady and author of Play, speaks frequently about kids who have "gifted" cognitive skills but haven't a clue how to stop someone from taking their bucket in the playground sandbox.  Play gives kids the social-emotional skills to interact with others.  It also teaches children how to handle childhood obstacles and set backs.

Kids who play - unstructured, free-spirited, risk-taking play, are better prepared for getting along with peers, are better able to control emotional reactions, and process academic concepts at a deeper level.  The Scientific American article lists these Key Concepts for play:

• Childhood play is crucial for social, emotional and cognitive development.

• Imaginative and rambunctious "free play", as opposed to games or structured activities, is the most essential type.

• Kids and animals that do not play when they are young may grow into anxious, socially maladjusted adults.

Parents must become advocates for childhood and play at a time when the dangers of freewheeing unsupervised through a neighborhood seem overwhelming.  Start with baby steps:

1. Schedule fewer structured activities.  Limit your child to one or two activities per week. 
2. Give your child and playdates time and space to discover new ways to play - blocks, dirt, costumes, homemade tents in the living room.
3. Add more humor and silliness to your day-to-day routines - sing songs on a whim, add a little nonsense (use the wrong word or say "pink gorrilla" for no reason, take a pratfall when you're about to get stuck in a sticky discipline situation.

Get serious about play - HAVE MORE FUN!