Importance of free play for child development

Playtime is associated with kids who not only have fun being themselves but even get to learn new things on their own. After having their pre-school time over, kids are usually engrossed in their own playtime. But today, owing to the technological development, kids have been spending their playtime on the screens. Children are glued to the mobile and television screens, giving them little scope for an all-round development. Parents should learn the importance of free play that will give an opportunity to their toddlers for maximum development. Learning the importance of free play in early childhood years will make your child confident. The importance of free play to children’s development is that it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children.

Importance of free play in early years

When you give importance to free play time for babies, it shapes their overall personality right from a ripe age. Molding kids become easy when their minds are still quick at grasping things. Unfortunately, today kids have a strictly scheduled lives leaving them without any real time to engage in free play. After a day’s activity in pre-school when they are given time to play, their exhausting bodies fail to take an advantage of the opportunity. These factors lead to a decrease in free play time for toddlers. Other factors which contribute towards lesser free play time for babies are working parents, preparation in academics and more screen time allotted to kids. Most parents are over-protective and perceive the importance of free play time for babies are risky. They are unwilling to send their kids down to play and often end up accompanying their toddlers whenever they have some spare time.

The importance of free play in kinder garden

Peter Gray, a Ph.D and a research professor at Boston College says, “Children are designed, by natural selection, to play.”  But, the last half century has seen a decline in kids’ opportunity to play, leading to negative consequences. As kids are exposed to more screen time right from a young age, they are automatically exposed to things that aren’t suitable for their age. Parents who do not understand the importance of free play time have children affected adversely in emotional development, higher anxiety, depression in later years and problems of attention and self control.

Importance of free play time

• Free play time allows kids to use their creativity and develop their imagination, dexterity and other strengths.
• It helps kids conquer their fears and build confidence.
• Free play time offers a fortuity to toddlers to interact with the outside world on their own.
• It teaches kids good habits like sharing and caring for others.
• It also aids their decision making skills.
• Importance of free play time in kinder garden will help toddlers adjust to school and enhance their learning readiness, learning behavior, and problem-solving skills.

Importance of free play time in school

Playing is versatile, which leads to a child’s development in many ways. The benefits of free play time are not just restricted to pre-schoolers but even to middle-schoolers.

• Intellectual development- Free play time develops executive function skills, content knowledge, and creative thinking. When toddlers engage in block building activity, they are counting, classifying, creating and examining patterns. When they engage in a dramatic play, they are practicing the art of story telling, using vocabulary and writing. Construction based play develops a toddlers problem solving and mathematical skills.
• Social development- Free play time for babies means having them interact in a group setting with other babies. They will start noticing social cues, listening to others and learn new words. Social play also encourages children to share ideas, express feelings and compromise.
• Emotional development- Amidst a social setting, in a guided play, children express feelings such as anticipation and frustration. It also teaches them how to set the rules and how to follow them.
• Physical development- Free play is best utilized for toddlers when arranged outdoors. This gives them a chance to engage in various activities such as cycling, running, jumping and a lot more. These sports develop their strength, muscle control, coordination, and reflexes. It also helps them push their limits and try new things.

Now that you know the importance of free play to children’s development, you should set your toddler free wherein the natural environmental settings will help them develop on their own. The trick to raising an independent child is by recognizing the importance of free play in early years of your child’s life. Don’t worry about your toddler falling every time when playing as that is how he will learn to get up by himself and enjoy with other kids. Set your child free and let nature take care of your child’s development.