Contents
Play, a fundamental activity for children
From what age does a small child start to be interested in play?
Play is a child’s innate desire to explore the world. We can therefore say that from the first months, the baby is playing. He plays with his own body or with his mother’s body, which is his first playmate. The first smiles around two months in response to our facial expressions constitute an attempt at socialization and therefore also a kind of game. , hand-eye coordination develops, all objects then attract his attention and he wants to take them with his hands to explore and shake them. Until the age of 2, play is mainly defined by the exploration of objects and social play characterized by fun interactions with parents. From 2 to 3 years old, children usually play side by side without interacting too much with each other (in fact, these are parallel games). As their cognitive skills develop, including their ability to imagine, imitate, and understand the beliefs and intentions of others, children begin to engage in sociodramatic games interacting with peers of the same age ( from 3 years old). At around the same time, physical and locomotor games are also increasingly common.
What are the benefits of play on child development?
Play is a fundamental tool for children’s cognitive, emotional and social development. The child will spontaneously play, he will try to recreate what he lives and sees in reality in order to better understand and integrate it. But he will also express all his emotional experience to better understand it and to better digest it. The game is therefore a space of the imagination which allows the child to gradually integrate, tame and support reality.. The game is also used to go beyond your own limits, to be curious and to explore. The child realizes the existence of the laws of chance, probability, physics and the rules of conduct which must be respected. The experience of play teaches the child to be persistent and to be confident in his own abilities. Play is also a process by which he becomes aware of the existence of an inner and outer world and he begins to accept the legitimate needs of his two realities.
Construction and imagination games… what do these different activities bring to children?
From 2 years old, the child often imitates what happens in reality: objects, actions, present situations are used as symbols to represent what is not present, but which can be imagined. This type of game, called symbolic, becomes a fundamental mode of mental representation and it allows the child to better understand the world around him and to integrate into it.. From a cognitive point of view, construction games help develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination, spatial skills, divergent thinking and creativity. Social and linguistic skills are of course also stimulated. The realization of complex structures requires logic, concentration and the understanding of the concepts of balance, size as well as the links of cause and effect. From the point of view of psychic maturation for the youngest, we can say that the child “constructs” himself symbolically in the image of the bricks or wooden planks that he assembles. Actively mastering this process helps him feel strong and develop self-esteem.. Board games are an opportunity to teach children respect for the rules of the game and to confront others. They also allow you to learn to be patient. Board games when they are played within the family are an opportunity to strengthen family bonds and to meet several generations, to laugh, to share common emotions and disappointments when we lose.
What is the role of the adult in the game?
Adults can play with the child, but they can also simply watch them play or be present. Above all, adults have the role of providing a safe environment so that the child can express their emotions without fear.. A child will play differently depending on whether or not an adult is present. In some more complex games, the presence of the adult is important because he has the knowledge of the meaning of what is behind this game.
Read also:
Why does your child love war toys?
Teach him to play on his own