The Role of Play in Social and Emotional Development

The Role of Play in Social and Emotional Development-Trevose, PA; Bensalem, PA; Philadelphia, PA; Medford, NJ; and Mount Laurel Township, NJ

Play is a fun part of childhood that is simply for entertainment and to occupy the child until they’re old enough to focus on schoolwork. Right? Wrong. Play may be enjoyable for your child, but the truth is that it is an essential part of the development of any child. In fact, it is so important that there are laws that prohibit children from working while they’re young. Play for children is an excellent way to learn.

What are the benefits of play in child development? Here, we will discuss the numerous advantages of play-based education and how play and social development go hand in hand.

Creative Play for Emotional Health

Play is crucial for children’s emotional development.

• Regulating Emotions
  Through play, children experience a safe environment in which they can manage their emotions. Feelings like excitement or disappointment can reach highs and lows during playtime that may not be appropriate in other settings. Emotional development through play can mean managing these emotions in relevant ways.
• Building Self-Esteem
  Children can experience achievement during play, such as successfully building a tower, wearing a costume they’re proud of, or kicking a goal. These playtime achievements can lead to higher self-esteem.
• Compassion and Empathy for Other Children
  While playing, children observe the emotions of others as well. This can lead to the development of emotions such as care and empathy for others.

Independence and Decision-Making Skills

When children experience play-based learning, they begin to feel autonomous and confident. They can start making decisions for themselves. They also learn to advocate for themselves and set boundaries with others.

Creative Play for Emotional Health

Perhaps you’ve heard of play therapy for children. It may sound frivolous, but numerous studies have shown that this type of therapy is groundbreaking for children’s emotional health.

Social Skills Activities for Kids

Some social skills activities for kids include:

• Building Toys
  When children work together using building toys such as blocks or legos, they learn to cooperate to create the desired structure. This type of teamwork is essential for future emotional health.
• Puppets
  Play with puppets or dolls can help children act out scenarios that they might experience in real life. It also allows them to create experiences they wouldn’t have in real life. With social interaction and creativity, puppets and dolls are ideal toys for social and emotional interaction.
• Board Games
  Board games can teach skills like taking turns, playing fair, and seeing other perspectives.
• Costumes
  Children typically love to play pretend, and costumes help them get into character. It’s a fantastic resource to have at home or in the classroom.

The Role of Play in Building Relationships

Ultimately, building these skills through play can mean building stronger relationships. These relationships are built between them and their peers, their parents, their siblings, and their teachers.

Creative Play for Emotional Health

Through play, children begin to develop a sense of care for others. This type of creative play is helpful for the child so that they develop good emotional health. What you may not know is that it is also crucial for the parent to observe this type of play. When a parent observes their child in creative or pretend play, they can understand their child and see the world from their perspective. This means creating stronger bonds between parent and child.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the role of play in social and emotional development in children cannot be overstated. From building social skills to creating emotional bonds, play is the most beneficial educational tool for teachers to use in the classroom. Providing young children with many play opportunities will be essential in the years to come as our children become aware of themselves, in touch with their surroundings, and learn to relate to others.

Just Children

At Just Children, we provide an environment based on creative learning. We offer play-based learning for children so that they can build the social and emotional skills they need to last a lifetime. We will help foster a love of learning while helping your child deepen their emotional intelligence. Early childhood education plays an integral role in a child’s development. We design our program knowing that it will affect the child’s educational progress at the academic, emotional, and social levels. With five locations in Pennsylvania and three in New Jersey, we have a location that will be convenient for you and your family. For more information, visit our website or contact us.