The sight of children playing is enough to instill joy and pleasure in even the hardest of hearts. The tinkle of their laughter, the joy expressed on their faces, and their creativity is all incredible to watch.
It’s no secret that children are the most open-minded of creatures. Their curiosity about the world is unrivaled and this curiosity helps them create fantasies that are not bound by the same laws that guide adults.
Just as children find pleasure in their play when you buy Montessori toys online, they also learn a lot. If you have a hard time understanding how play could be the key to learning, you’re in luck. Here, we’ll explore the various ways in which play can benefit your child.
- Is play simply another form of learning?
Yes, it is. Play is a meaningful tool that when used right, can encourage children to learn and embrace new ideas and activities. Of course, for play to provide these benefits, it must be interesting to the child.
It should also give the child a sense of control as well as the ability to choose what he or she would like to do. Finally, such play must be in a safe environment and be able to evolve to suit a child’s imagination.
When play possesses all of these characteristics, your child would be a willing and active participant.
- Benefits of learning through play
- It helps children develop social skills
Playtime is an opportunity for your child to engage freely with other children. It calls for collaboration and interaction, factors that are important in building social skills.
In interacting with their peers, children can identify qualities that they like and this could help them develop friendships.
During play, children are also able to express their feelings and perceive the feelings and needs of others.
- It helps children communicate more effectively
Communication extends far beyond one’s ability to speak. Even before children can form sentences, they can express their thoughts through their actions. And you can notice this if you pay attention to your child while he or she plays.
As your child ages, play can also help improve their speech. Children use words to explain their actions when playing alone or with others and it is interesting to watch how the incorporate words they learn into their growing vocabulary.
- It helps promote creativity in children
A child’s creativity is never as evident as when they engage in imaginative play. When playing pretend games, your child can use his or her knowledge of symbols to introduce objects and pretend that they represent something else.
The power of a child’s imagination is limitless and allows them to come up with new and creative ideas. Just as play inspires creativity, it also elevates your child’s cognitive ability, leading to more advanced interactions between them and the people around them.
- It improves children’s numeracy and literacy skills
Meaningful play introduces children to different toys and books and the information within can influence their development. With time, your child will develop the ability to make sense of all the information they’re exposed to at play, and apply it to different situations.
By building their comprehension skills, play also improves their application of numbers and letters.
To help your child enjoy these benefits, you need to embrace his or her curiosity and encourage meaningful play however you can.
