The play remains a puzzle since it is naturally ready to emerge in almost every activity of childhood. Children play to have fun, express themselves and interact with others. They cannot get enough of it. Furthermore, they have the right to go for it because it is an instinctive motive. It is simply an inseparable part of their life in building up themselves. If you want to build a great connection with them and discover their capabilities, playing with your child is the most fun way to do it.
Essentials and Benefits of Playing With Your Child
Children are free to distort reality as they like and create a world in a play. When it comes to the variety of play including playing alone or with peers, parents have its benefits too. Parents playing with their child may also enhance their creativity and look from a different perspective in life if they do it regularly (2).
Play is essential for childhood as well as later in life. That is a way of being, and there is no way to restrict it by setting specific rules. Even there you can point out kinds of play, all they are beneficial for children’s development. Children develop skills following the developmental stages they are in and improve in skills that influence life.
Keep Your Child Company
Even though it comes with instincts, children can be confused about how to play games. While playing with your children, you can embrace the structuring role. This role sustains the children’s interest in play-based activities and increases the length of their attention span. So, it is not because of any development disorder that your children suffer. As for the importance of playing with your child, it is essential to guide them since they need to be taught how to do it. It is normal for them to struggle during the playmaking process. It is suggested that some play must remain child-driven only. If the parent is going to be involved in a play with their child, they should monitor it and assure that it is not adult-directed (3).
Such Play Provides (4),
– The infant with a feeling of control over the environment, which builds self-confidence and intellectual growth
– Social interaction with parents facilitates parent-children attachment
– Encouragement for the children to attend to new tasks and explore them willingly
References
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Rubin, K. H., Fein, G.C., and Vanderberg, B. (1983). Play. In P. H. Mussen (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (4th ed., pp.693-774). New York: Wiley.
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Anderson-McNamee, J. K., & Bailey, S. J. (2010). The importance of play in early childhood development. Montana State University Extention, 4(10), 1-4.
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Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182-191.
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Hughes, F. P. (Ed.). (2009). Children, play, and development. Sage.