The Importance of Playing with Children

For children, play is naturally enjoyable. Their active engagement in things that are of interest to them is the basis for play; therefore, play should be initiated and inspired by a child in order for it to remain appropriate and significant to them. Children at play are happily lost in themselves. They are in their own realm of wonder, exploration, and adventure. Only by invitation are we allowed to join them.

As early as infancy, children submerge themselves in play activities with the intention of making sense of the world around them. Play offers children the chance to learn and experience things for themselves.

Play is a vital component to the intellectual development of a child. We live in an emblematic world in which people need to decode words, actions, and numbers. For young children, these symbols do not naturally mean anything because they are just subjective depictions of tangible objects. The role of play is for the child to understand better the cognitive notions in ways that are enjoyable, tangible, and important to them. Through play, a child is building his or her worldview by continuously working and reworking their understanding of concepts. It helps to increase their creativity and assists in creating a positive self image.

Play also has an important role in a child's socio-emotional development, as well as improving their physical and motor improvement. It also assists with cognitive learning, and enhances language development. Play is a healthy, natural way for a child to learn, grow, and become a productive member of society. Without play, a child can become unimaginative, almost flat in development. Often they will develop issues involving social interaction, as well as cognitive learning disabilities. This is one of the major reasons that play therapy is widely used among autistic children, and others who have disorders that include social behavior disruptions.

Therefore, the next time your child is tugging at your sleeve, saying, "Come on Dad! Let's play!" put your grown-up schedule on hold and go play. You will be keeping yourself young and helping your child grow to be a wonderful, well-rounded adult.