Play and Learning

Play is such a huge part in your child’s life. It is crucial to cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. Play allows children to be creative and use their imagination. Play can take place alone or in a group, with toys or outside. No matter a child’s background, they will be able to play. Playing helps children learn how to interact with the world around them and also helps them learn social skills. Some children may use play to work through a new experience or something that they are fearful of. Playing with others helps children develop skills like communication, cooperation, and problem-solving. Playing brings joy to children. There are so many benefits to playing. Every child plays differently and know type of play is wrong.

There are 6 different types of play that your child will partake in depending on their mood, surroundings, and development.

1.  Unoccupied play: child isn’t playing. May be doing random movements but with no purpose. Although it doesn’t seem like this is playing, it is and it’s important for your child’s development.

2.  Solitary play: child plays alone. This is important because it teaches your child how to self-entertain and be self-sufficient.

3.  Onlooker play: child observes other children playing. Don’t be concerned if your child would rather watch other kids play than join in. He may be working on developing his vocabulary or may be a little shy.

4.  Parallel play: children playing next to each other, may be using similar materials but have limited to no interaction. It seems like they are just playing next to each other but they are learning social skills such as sharing and other social cues.

5.  Associative play: children are working independently but share materials and comments back and forth. This type of play helps children develop cooperation, problem solving, socialization, and language skills.

6.  Cooperative: children start truly playing together. The children are interacting and planning. They often share a common goal such as building a tower or playing school.

There are 4 other types of play that usually develop as the child is able to engage in cooperative play.

1.  Dramatic/Fantasy Play: child uses imagination and role-plays as a character. Dramatic play includes playing house, doctor, princesses, etc.

2.  Competitive play: child plays with another person and tries to win. This can include playing board games, sports, etc. Competitive play is important because it teaches sportsmanship, rules, and turn taking.

3.  Physical play: child uses large and/or small muscles to play. Physical play encourages the child to be active. IT can include throwing, kicking, riding a bike, etc.

4.  Constructive play: child uses manipulatives to play and build. Constructive play teaches children how to move objects to fit together and how to build with objects. Cognitive skills are also developed because children must figure out what works and why something doesn’t work. Constructive play includes building with blocks or Legos, making a race track for cars, or constructing a fort.

You may be wondering “How do I encourage my child to play at home?” Here are a few ideas:

·    Praise their play: say things like “I love how patient you were when you were building that tower!” or “What a great game you invented.” Try to avoid making suggestions.

·    Offer open-ended toys: Blocks, dolls, and balls are just a few examples of open-ended toys. they can be used many different ways and have different purposes.

·    Cut back on extracurricular activities: sometimes it can be hard to choose just one extracurricular activity for your child but think of it this way- when they are done with school, they go straight to sports practice, then home for supper. After supper they do homework, and by the time they are done, it’s time to get ready for bed. Where is the play time?

·    Teach by example: model to your child how to entertain themselves. Take time for yourself to read or garden or go for a walk.

·    Check out the other ideas at Scholastic.com

How to Encourage Free Play. (n.d.). Retrieved February, 2017, from http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/how-to-encourage-free-play

Rock, A. (n.d.). 10 Types of Play Important to Your Child's Development. Retrieved February, 2017, from https://www.verywell.com/types-of-play-2764587