Playtime is important for more reasons for kids to play with toys or even for learning and development. With my own child, I’ve observed deeper levels of emotional bonding and growth that happens more during playtime than any other
Why Playtime Is Important
I’m compelled to write this blog post due to what I’ve observed with my four year old son. First, this is a fascinating stage in growth and development. At four years old, with our first child, I had no idea what to expect for this age. We are far past reading the what to expect books at this age.
Of course there are unlimited resources out there to lean on, at some level you do want to experience what it is to be a parent and make a few honest mistakes of your own. But within all of the different types of things we do such as getting ready for school, meal time, traveling, playing sports and games, laughing, telling jokes and so on, there is something special I’ve observed about playtime.
Something Different Is Happening
The desire to play at this age is strong, but I’ve noticed that while independent play is very important, playtime together is at least equally important. At this age, we’ve noticed more and more requests to play together. It’s a connection time, a time of bonding and enjoyment and genuine time together. But I’ve noticed that’s not all that’s happening. This is when our child learns to trust, feels seen, and builds confidence in others.
Learning to Work Together
Another important thing that happens during playtime is learning how to engage with others. With our child, of course, I’m enjoying time together that doesn’t happen in the same way with anything else we do. I am training my child to play well with others. You might say, rightfully, that we don’t know how our children engage with others when we are not with them.
But it’s my aim to help them remember, even when we are not with him, the correct way to engage with them. It’s not good manners to take toys from other kids. It’s not kind to raise your voice or demand things from them. It’s not a good idea to play in a way that others don’t appreciate. Sure, it’s a delicate balance between fun and setting a foundation, but I hope to at least remind enough that when the time comes that a situation sounds similar to what we’ve talked about at home there is a better opportunity to make a good choice.
There’s a not so hidden agenda that we have during playtime and that is helping our children to know how to treat others, how to be patient, understanding, and even forgiving. Playtime is important because we have a unique opportunity to model how we should behave with others because there are few things that our children care more about than playtime. There is more at stake. They care deeply about this time for so many reasons but most of all because they get to spend time with you while enjoying what they love and demonstrating what they’ve learned.
With this as the setting, there are unlimited options to guide, to correct, but also to flourish and be well. You will be surprised how they will not forget this time deep into their lives. Just take a moment to think about how well you can recall some of your best childhood playtime memories. Even f you can’t recall many of them, you will have a few that standing out and will stay with you.
Learning Communication
Even more so than most of the other ways we spend time with our children, playtime is important because that’s where we learn to communicate. Again, this is something our children really want to do. They don’t want to brush teeth or eat vegetables, but they sure do want to play. And because their attention is heightened and there is something at stake, they are more inclined to learn things like sharing, how to ask to play with someone or even how to say they didn’t like the way someome tried to play with them.
Playtime is important not only because it’s precious time with our children, which it is, but I’m convinced that we take the social skills that we use throughout our lives from how we learned to play as children. But, at the very least, this is a foundation to learn from and build on when we meet new people throughout our lives.
Problem Solving
It’s also important that children learn important problem-solving skills during playtime as well. Not only this, but believe it or not, this is the type of setting where conflict resoultion comes into view. Children learn to manage emotions when they don’t get exactly what they want, and how to effectively share their perspective when negotiating and compromising. There is much more happening during playtime than it seems when it comes to the skills that our children learn and how they begin to resolve how they feel versus what they want.
Conclusion
Don’t diminish the power of playtime. It’s not like the other things that we do with our children. But the power that is holds is tremendous. You will be surprised what children remember about playtime, the concepts that stick that don’t seem to in other settings, and the lifetme memories that you can create in just a few minutes of play. It’s by far one of the best tools you can use to learn about your child’s emotions, how they face stuations but more importantly how they feel supported and what they need to flourish.
