Play is important for the development of children. Areas of development that benefit from childhood play range from physical properties, to cognitive learning, and even behavioral issues. However, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is more beneficial if it is not led by adults and is driven by the child. When a child plays without adult control, he develops a sense of leadership and learns to make his own decisions.
Physical Development
Lack of exercise and movement are among the factors contributing to obesity in America. Unfortunately, children are included among the rising number of obese persons. The Ad Council estimates that over 9 million children in the United States over the age of 6 are considered obese. Active play can give children the exercise they need to increase their physical development and have a positive influence on their health. Children should be encouraged to be mobile in their play activities.
Social Development
Interactive play is very beneficial to the overall social development of children. Social development is learning a skill set on how to react with other people. According to an article published on Clinically Psyched.com, playtime helps build social skills because, while working together during playtime, children learn about fairness and apathy. These play activities also teach that self-indulgence and conceit do not build strong social support, and a child will be less likely to exhibit this kind of social behavior later in life.
Cognitive Development
Play is expressly linked to the cognitive development of children. According to Parenting Science, play stimulates the cerebral cortex to grow and benefits the memory. They also state that problem-solving skills learned during play in childhood are linked to an increase in skills, such as math, as adults.
Academic Development
In an effort to increase academic skills, schools are shortening or removing recesses, believing that more time in the classroom will result in better academics. However, while many educational facilities are considering this move, studies discussed in an article on the Parenting Science website show that short breaks that include play time will benefit the student. For this playtime to be effective, it is thought that 10 to 20 minutes is the appropriate amount of time.
Emotional Development
Taking playtime from a child due to time restraints will likely result in the child feeling rushed. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, this could lead to depression, stress, and anxiety. These symptoms can cause the emotional development of a child to suffer. Providing a playtime can help provide solid emotional development.
