Why Learning Through Play is Important

Children love to play, and the sound of children’s laughter as they cavort outside or make up little games with their toys is a happy sound to most parents. Apart from being fun, playing can also be important for children as it helps with their learning and development. Play enhances their curiosity and creativity. A wonderful example of this is a game as simple as Peekaboo which can help with the development of motor skills and visual tracking, all while an infant is having fun and being entertained. Here at Geziggies, we have scoured the wonderful world wide web for various sources to compile a comprehensive list of the benefits of learning through play.

The below skills are also enhanced with learning through play:

• Physical Skills:
  Children become intellectually and physically strong through games like running, jumping, and learning a new sport. But physical play is more than just tumbling and wrestling. Playing physical games like balancing blocks, planting flowers, or creating putty models helps develop fine motor abilities.

• Social Skills:
  Games are better played with a group of friends for a reason, when playing together, children share ideas, listen to others and even negotiate. An example of this would be when they share toys or negotiate turns when playing with certain toys. Playing together builds empathy by helping children think about their teammates. Their ability to work together will improve their performance at jobs and school later in life, help them make lifelong friends, and improve their relationships with their families. It also improves their own mental health and wellbeing. They also learn how to resolve conflicts and how to advocate for themselves.

• Academic Achievement
  While play is often seen as separate from formal education, research indicates that it can positively impact academic achievement. Play-based learning approaches, such as hands-on activities, games, and simulations, have been shown to enhance children’s motivation, engagement, and retention of academic content across various subjects.

• Cognitive Development
  Children who learn through play become so engrossed in coming up with solutions and developing tactics that they desire to challenge their brains. More so than being told to sit quiet and memorise things, the joy of play encourages children to develop complex reasoning abilities, memory, and focus. Naturally all that adaptability will enable them to meet whatever difficulties and new jobs the adult world may present.

• Creative Skills
  Play encourages imagination and creativity by allowing children to explore different roles, scenarios, and possibilities. Through pretend play, children develop storytelling skills, experiment with different identities, and engage in imaginative problem-solving. Children play to test limitations, revise hypotheses and to see what is possible in terms of new challenges. In using their creativity and imagination, play can serve as a natural tool that children can use to build their resilience and coping skills, as they learn to navigate relationships and deal with social challenges as well as conquer their fears, for example through re-enacting fantasy heroes.

The involvement of adults is crucial in providing care and structure for children’s play experiences. Adults can extend children’s learning by creating play-friendly surroundings, offering tools for discovery such as educational and colourful toys, and actively engaging with them as educators, caregivers, or parents. Adults can participate in the wonderful realm of play as co-creators by adopting a playful mindset themselves.

In conclusion, learning through play is essential to a child’s growth.  Play is transformative in cultivating well-rounded individuals who becomes the next generation of thinkers, innovators, and changemakers. It is imperative that play is encouraged in the name of fun – it promotes a life of colour and playfulness as well as independence and empathy.

Sources:

https://www.unicef.org/sites/default/files/2018-12/UNICEF-Lego-Foundation-Learning-through-Play.pdf

https://learningthroughplay.com/why-play