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Importance of Play in Early Childhood (9 Benefits & Infographic)

In this article, we will look at nine amazing benefits of play in child development. We will also review research results that highlight the importance of children play.

Importance of Play in Early Childhood

Why is play important for children?

Many parents intuitively know the importance of play in child development, but despite its many benefits, we rarely associate play with learning.

For most people, learning involves acquiring a specific new skill, such as memorizing alphabets, counting, writing, etc. They often believe that playing is only for fun and involves no actual learning.

However, according to studies, playing is learning. Children learn through play experiences.

The importance of play in early childhood education cannot be underestimated because learning through play is essential to a child’s growth.

children playing, a boy and a girl blow bubbles in the park - the importance of play in early childhood development

9 Benefits of Play

1. Stimulate Early Brain Development

Child play can promote brain development in many ways, including providing the child with a better understanding of the world and setting the groundwork for later brain growth​1​.

At birth, infants’ brains are equipped with an overabundance of brain cell connections (synapses). Synapse overproduction allows information captured from the early years to build a foundation for the brain.

An environment enriched with play, sensory play, and play toys provide the perfect life experiences as building blocks. Lack of play will cause the neuron connections related to play to be lost.

Neuroscientists discovered that enrichment such as toys, games, and playing can alter a brain’s chemistry and the child’s development. The brain area associated with higher cognitive processing (the cerebral cortex) can benefit from environmental enrichment and children’s play more than other parts of the brain​2​.

2. Improve Intelligence

Early playing also has an important role in a child’s intellectual development.

One study by the University of Arkansas shows that regularly offering toys to infants to play with leads to higher IQ by age three​3​. Later, psychologist Edward Fisher analyzed 46 studies done on playing. He found that playing could enhance a child’s cognitive, linguistic, and social development​4,5​.

Girl paints rainbow with Mom on standup board - the importance of play in child development

3. Spark Creative Thinking

Perhaps the most obvious benefit of playing is that it increases a child’s creativity.

Creativity is closely tied to divergent thinking, which is the thought process that explores many possible solutions and generates new ideas. Many studies have found that playing is highly associated with divergent thinking.

To test this association in a study, researchers randomly assigned 52 children, aged six to seven, to two activities. In the first activity, the children copied text from a chalkboard. In the second, the children played with salt-dough​6​.

Later, all the children were asked to perform a creative project. A panel of ten judges found that the projects created by the children in the salt-dough group had higher creative qualities than those in the other group.

Other studies have also associated free play, especially imaginative play, with significant improvement in divergent thinking​7,8​.

Free play or independent play is an unstructured form of play that encourages children to design their own play​9​. Pretend play requires a child to imagine scenarios and then act them out. The freedom of these types of play allows children to be creative​10,11​.

Imagination fuels creativity and some studies have also found that creative adolescents tend to have had imaginary friends in childhood​12​.

Girl talks to boy in a game - why is play important in early childhood education

4. Improve Communication, Vocabulary, and Language

The link between early play and later communication skills is evident in research, too.

One study sought to understand whether communication could benefit from play. Researchers observed what happened when an infant began playing with a toy. They found that if the mother responded by manipulating and naming the toys, the baby – when tested three months later – would have better language skills​13​.

Another study, conducted by the University of Georgia, observed sixty-five kindergartners in their classrooms over four weeks. The presence of play, especially dramatic play, was found to predict performance in pre-reading, language, and writing​14​.

Pretend-play is especially beneficial because it allows young children to practice new vocabulary when they speak and try to understand others. During social play, they often reciprocate each other’s words and actions to reach agreements​15​.

5. Promote Impulse Control and Emotion Regulation

Self-regulation is one of the most important skills for school readiness. Well-regulated children can wait for a turn, resist the temptation to grab objects from other children, control negative emotions, and persist through challenging activities.

In a New Zealand study, psychologists examined how children handled negative events during pretend plays. They found that children who had more pretend plays with their caregivers were better at regulating their emotions to continue playing​16,17​.

Emotion regulation is not only essential for academic success but also for the psychosocial aspects of child development. It is a strong predictor of a child’s social success​18​. In preschool, children who exhibit better emotional control are more likable and socially competent​19​.

Two girls chat with smile while holding a pink and a yellow helium balloons - why is play important in early childhood stage

6. Grow Social Competence and Empathy

Playing is crucial in enhancing social development in children. Unstructured active play with others – including parents, siblings, and peers – is a significant opportunity to cultivate social skills. While playing, the act of pretending as well as negotiating with peers enhances children’s social skills​20​.

Playing also provides opportunities for children to learn social interaction. Wehile playing together, children learn to cooperate, follow the rules, develop self-control, and generally get along with other people.

Psychologists found that the amount and complexity of fantasy play by preschoolers significantly predicted their social skills and popularity, as well as their positive social activity​21​.

Playful children tend to be happier, better adjusted, more co-operative, and more popular with their peers than those who play less.

Children who play more also develop more empathy, another essential element that advances social skills. Such children grow to have a better understanding of other people’s feelings and beliefs.

7. Better Physical and Mental Health

We already know that play promotes a child’s emotional development. Emotional intelligence is vital for a child’s resilience and mental health.

Playing that involves physical activities also promotes gross motor skills, strength, endurance, and physical health.

8. Teach Life Lessons

Play helps children develop problem solving skills.

When children act out life’s problems in pretend-playing, it helps them cope with the struggles in their own ways. It also provides a safe opportunity for children to rehearse skills and future social roles.

When children try out various roles, they learn to take on different perspectives, which will further assist them in abstract thinking​22​.

Also See: Parten’s 6 Social Stages of Play and Why They Are Important

Mom and Dad push girl sitting in cardboard box to play - the importance of play in the early years

9. Strengthen Relationship with Caretakers and Peers

Parents who play with their children form a stronger bond with them. Even simple games like scavenger hunts can become a special bonding moment for both parents and children. These interactions provide positive life experiences that stimulate children’s brain development.

Last but not least, happy, playful moments are some of the most precious gifts we can give our children.

Final Thoughts on Play

Because play is imperative in a child’s development, play-based preschools may provide a better learning environment than other alternatives​23​. When choosing a preschool, parents should pay attention to how classes are conducted, whether the “play to learn” approach is used, and how much free-play is allowed. Creating a Montessori home is also a good alternative.

Summary of the Importance Of Play in this article: bigger brain size, smarter, faster learning, more creative, better communication, greater impulse control, greater social competence, better health, life lesson and better relationship

References

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