How Fun Playtime Builds Social Skills

By Author: Chris Clement
Total Articles: 4762
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Many parents mistakenly view playtime as the opportunity for children to burn off energy, allowing them to be less cranky and sleep better at night. Still others see it as an opportunity to complete their own tasks and chores while children are otherwise occupied. While both of these may be benefits of playtime, they are not the only ones to be achieved.

Children's ability to play well and often is essential to their development processes. Playtime is also learning time for kids, who are constantly taking in and processing new pieces of information in the course of their everyday, minute-to-minute activates.

A child's developmental years, or the first handful of years of their lives, are critical to life-long prosperity. Even fantasy play aids children in developing skills they will utilize for the remainder of their days.

As a parent, it's important to recognize the essential nature of playtime to a child's overall development of any number of fundamental skills. In the process of playing, children learn about themselves. They discover what they are capable of doing, investigate who they are, and develop ...
... their abilities of how to relate to the larger world that surrounds them.

Children who are able to play alone are honing their independence. They are discovering their own creative thought processes by giving voices to their dolls or stuffed animals. They are beginning to form a sense of self.

Playing with family members gives children the chance to establish good relationships with their core unit. They learn they can depend on their family for support and nurturing. They also begin to realize they have family who will celebrate their achievements, and comfort and encourage them to try again during times of failure.

Understanding the family dynamic early in their formation allows children to feel secure within their family structure. It gives them the ability to recognize that they are surrounded by a strong support system, making them more willing and able to try new things and work through the challenges life inevitably presents.

Playing with your children also helps instill a sense of confidence in them. They will develop a strong foundation of self-worth and trust in their own ability. Competence is achieved through trial and error during the course of fun playtime, and parents are the support structure that makes their successes momentous and their failures acceptable attempts.

Numerous skills are learned through fun playtime, including creativity, hand-eye coordination skills, problem-solving abilities, innovation, and the initiative for experimentation. Imagination and creativity are skills which need to be practiced often in order to be retained. Those who lose their ability to tap into these skills early in life have a very difficult time rediscovering them later in their days.

Imagination and creativity serve adults well in their everyday lives. Regardless of the situation faced, whether it be work-related or personal, those adults with active imaginations, innovative intellects, and the creativity to develop a variety of methods of dealing with issues are more successful in facing daily challenges.

During creative play, children learn to communicate. They develop the ability to express themselves, first through actions, then through vocabulary, and finally through speech and actions combined. The fundamental ability to effectively communicate feelings thoughts, wants and needs is an essential and fundamental skill of successfully interacting with others.

Through the development of verbal and non-verbal communication skills, children learn to interact on a social level. Playtime allows children ample opportunity to hone social skills through interacting with family members as well as other children.

Parents who play with their children have the opportunity to instill appropriate social skills through playtime activities. Through play, children have the chance to learn what is expected of them in social interaction. They learn to share and take turns speaking and leading. They also learn to care about others and to be sensitive to the feelings of other people.

Playtime is intimately linked to good behavioral traits and social skills later in life. Interacting with children through play is an important step in helping them become well-rounded, skilled and successful adults.
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