Taking Play Seriously
We often think of play as something we do when we can find the time or something only children do. This is not the case. Play and leisure have many benefits for kids and teens, and we all need to approach play with some seriousness.
We assume that kids, young and old, acquire necessary life skills through traditional education. That is not the only place this happens. Play provides some very important benefits for our kids, benefits that will serve them well as they grow.
Before we go into the benefits, however, let’s be clear that play can be structured, but oftentimes the best play happens organically in spontaneous moments. Play can be sitting in solitude looking out the window and fiddling with some toys, it can be a group of kids running around in the park and also involve structure, like kids coming together for game night. There is no right or the wrong way to play.
Benefits of Play for Young Children
Play leads to brain development – The free-flowing aspect of unstructured play encourages kids to think differently. This is play not bound by schedules or rules. Remember when you were young and ranaround with your friends without an actual planned activity, and together you came up with something cool and interesting to do? This encourages brain development in key areas that foster problem-solving skills, creativity and a comfort with looking silly. Young kids don’t care as much if they make mistakes, because in unstructured play there really are none.
Play fosters literacy – Coming up with new ideas for play requires kids to communicate with each other clearly. These moments motivate kids to practice their language skills with each other and learn new ways of communicating in a non-school environment.
Play leads to improved emotional awareness – As kids engage in play and life doesn’t go smoothly, they learn how to navigate emotions. Often children play with friends or other kids they know, so when issues pop up, they get better at understanding themselves and others in a more natural environment.
Play leads to improved motor skills – Play is a big category and may involve balls and bats or crayons and paper. When young ones come together to play, they naturally pick up skills. This is especially true when there is a little age difference between the kids. Older kids have better fine motor skills, they are better at coloring detailed pictures or putting puzzles together. Younger children can observe and practice with the older kids and build these skills more easily during play.
Benefits of Play for Teens
Creating a sense of identity – Finding out who they are is one of the key tasks of adolescence. Down time with friends is one of the major way teens figure this out. What do they like to do and who do they like to do these activities with is a huge part of adolescence. Remember back when you were in high school, there were the jocks, the drama kids, the smart kids, etc. It is through these more leisure activities that young people begin to define who they are and who they are not.
Creating a sense of independence – Parents are sometimes concerned when their teen is engaged in solitary activities. It is important to understand what your child may be doing while alone to make sure the isolation isn’t linked to emotional difficulties and relationship struggles. Once you have ruled this out, solitary activities are important in that they allow for expanded creativity and a space for safe self-expression and self-understanding. Keep an eye on your teen for sure, but know that there is great value in solitary activities as well as activities with groups.
Play is an important part of life. As young people are encouraged to engage in play they take this into their adult lives. This is key in that when we are stressed it is good for us to know what brings us a little bit of joy. If we are encouraged to have fun as kids, we are more likely to know how to do this as adults. So, let’s go out and play!
