The Importance of Play
February 10, 2017. I Adriana Mercuri
Most often, adults (parents, educators, etc.) tend to believe that play is a waste of time; they think that play has no benefits to child development.
This assumption made by many is wrong. During play, children are developing skills, habits and attitudes that will stay with them throughout their lives. As they play they learn to cope with frustrations, to continue to try to improve, to share with others, to give vocal expression to their thoughts and fantasies. As Fisher Price's 'Importance of Play in Early Childhood Education' mentions, "Children literally play for keeps." Whatever they learn throughout play will stick with them forever and the games they played and interactions they had will always be a memorable experience that they can reflect on in their future.
Here are six types of play that children will engage in throughout their development. Each type of play is important and beneficial for children in many different ways!
Overall, play contributes to all areas of development. For my Field Placement Project, I changed the theme in the Drama Centre to a post office for the month of February. The reason I did this, is to encourage the children to take a hands on approach to learning about mail carriers and the responsibilities they have and the roles they play in the community. In addition, I encouraged children to write sweet mail for their friends while at the Centre. By doing this, I believe that children can internalize new meanings easily by experiencing what they are learning about.
The children also had the opportunity to further develop their:
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Social Skills by interacting/sharing with others
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Cognitive Skills by problem solving and engaging in critical thinking
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Emotional Skills by making letters and colouring pictures for thier friends
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Physical Development by using fine motor skills to write, colour, glue, etc. and gross motor skills by moving around
