3 key reasons why play is essential for children

Play is fundamental to children’s happiness and crucial for early childhood development and learning. By supporting and encouraging play, parents can provide their children with the foundation for a happy, successful adult life.

When we were young, play was mostly free-range, often outdoors, largely unsupervised. The memories of my childhood play-times never fail to fill me with the now rare feeling of simple, pure joy. But play seems to be on the wane for children these days. There are multiple contributing factors to this decrease:

• There are fewer spaces available for free-range play.

• While there is growing recognition of the significance of play, it’s increasingly brushed aside in favour of early literacy and numeracy.

• Adults don’t fully understand what play means and why authentic play requires to be free from our control, structures and agendas.

• Another factor is the perceived threat and risk from strangers or people who might prey on our unsupervised children. Hence, we rein them in and keep them close.

• Then there are the devices, the screens – the iPads, iPhones, PSP and television.

Play is not frivolous or optional, it is basic and essential. And as adults we have an important role to fulfil – we need to understand and support even prioritize our children’s need to play.

But why do early childhood practitioners and experts seem so obsessed with play?

1. Play contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional development of children. There is an overwhelming body of research that illustrates how play benefits children, facilitates activation of interconnected brain processes and supports children's capacity to learn.

2. Experts also suggest that there is a causal relationship between the decrease in play and play-time and the rise in mental disorders, sensory issues, ADHD, incidences of self-harm and developmental issues in children.

3. But beyond all these benefits and more importantly even - play is joyful and meaningful, comforting and even therapeutic for the child. It allows the child to be and become, it has endless possibilities and potential and the child understands this intrinsically – play is the child’s first language and instinct.The ability to experience the simple joys of life is keener when one is young and play allows plenty of room and opportunities for it.

Even as all the development that children gain through play provides a strong foundation to build upon throughout their life so too the joy they experience, the memories they make envelop them and protect them and stay with them for their lifetime. A happy childhood forms the basis of the child’s lifelong outlook and mindset.

Here are some simple and effective tips on how parents can support play.