Tuesday, April 1, 2008

To Play or Not?

Children love to play and that seems universal. They start playing from an early age and learn to view play as form of excitement. In a school setting, free play, often referred to a recess is often viewed as a privilege. However, research shows that free play is imperative in promoting and stimulating growth for our children. As adults, we often overlook the educational importance of "free play" in child development and sometimes use it as an incentive rather than a learning platform.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Report on The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds, describes the benefits of free play include:

* allowing kids to use their creativity, foster their imagination, dexterity, and other strengths
* encouraging interaction with the world around them
* helping kids conquer fears and build self-confidence
* teaching kids to work in cooperative groups, learning to share and resolve conflicts
* helping kids practice decision making skills in context

I think that it is important for parents and teachers alike to learn about the benefits of free play. By the way, playing video games does not constitute as free play, though video games do have some benefits also. However, maybe we might think again before we "take away recess" as a punishment. To access the complete Clinical Report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, visit: http://www.aap.org/pressroom/playFINAL.pdf

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