Question

What is the importance of childhood play activities? What effect do these activities have on a child’s sense of him or herself

Answer 1

• Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children.
• Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development.It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them.
• Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers.As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges.
• When play is allowed to be child driven, children practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue.
• In addition to expressing feelings, children also learn to cope with their feelings as they act out being angry, sad, or worried in a situation they control. Pretend play allows them to think out loud about experiences charged with both pleasant and unpleasant feelings.
• Preschool children learn a lot about who they are, how they fit in and how to get along with others through playing with their peers.
• Play provides opportunities for children to have power over what they do and what and how they learn.Play is different. In play, children have more opportunity to make decisions. This is important for their developing sense of self as it builds feelings of self-efficacy, competence and confidence. Play enables children to express feelings and practise roles. Through play children also learn to negotiate the give and take of relationships with others.
• Children learn they are accepted as they are, they will not be punished or judged for who they are or how they feel. Adults can help children to know their feelings are understood, and help them to learn to express their feelings in ways that are not hurtful to themselves or others.
• Children can be supported to express their feelings in many non-destructive ways through play using drawing and painting, water, mud and sand, puppets and dress-ups. This helps children to learn helpful ways of expressing and managing their feelings; a useful skill now and in the future.