Skills Your Child Develops Through Play

Play is an important part of a child’s development. For babies and toddlers, playing is the best way to learn. When you engage both their curiosity and their desire to have fun, learning comes naturally.

Older children learn at school but they can also continue to learn through play. Physical activities improve motor skills. Toys and activities that encourage them to use their imaginations can help them develop cognitive skills. And group activities enhance social skills.

Motor Skills

Motor skills are some of the first skills that children learn. Gross motor skills are those that involve using a large number of muscles to make big movements, such as rolling over, crawling, running and jumping. Fine motor skills consist of smaller movements, usually those of the hands and fingers.

Gross motor skill development can be encouraged through play. Hopscotch is a great game for developing gross motor skills. Playing catch or team sports are also beneficial.

Many toys are good for developing fine motor skills. Blocks and puzzles are two of the simplest and best. But almost any small toy can encourage the refinement of fine motor skills.

Cognitive Development

Many educational toys concentrate on cognitive development. This includes things like remembering, problem solving and decision making. These skills are essential for success in school and all other aspects of life.

Any activity that requires imagination has the potential to encourage problem solving and decision making skills. Games such as Memory and Bop It can help a child develop his memory. Adults might even benefit from playing them with their children.

Social Skills

Social skills are learned through play with other children. Sharing and teamwork are two examples. These skills begin to develop in the preschool years. Proper development of social skills lays the foundation for good relationships with family and peers.

The same blocks and puzzles that help children develop fine motor skills can be used by a group of children to promote the development of social skills. Children can work together to build something or solve the puzzle. They can share blocks with each other. They can discuss ideas about how to best solve the puzzle. They learn to enjoy one another’s company. Competitive games foster healthy competition and good sportsmanship.

Kids need opportunities to play both alone and with other children. This will ensure that motor skills, cognitive skills and social skills all have a chance to develop and flourish. It will also add to the variety of play experiences, helping to prevent boredom.

Playing plays an important role in every child’s development. Access to educational toys maximizes the learning opportunities that play has to offer. Active participation from parents allows for both bonding and learning.