Play is how young children learn best.  It is through play that a child develops in the important areas of feeling and connecting, sensing and moving, listening and talking, and thinking and remembering.

Through playful experiences children develop:

• Emotional skills as they spend time with you and others learning about feelings, how to manage them, and understanding the feelings of others.
• Social skills which they master by learning to follow directions, to cooperate, to take turns, to share and to abide by rules.
• Physical (gross-motor) skills as children learn to reach, crawl, walk, run, climb, jump, throw, catch, and balance.
• Fine-motor skills (the use of hands and fingers) as they handle and manipulate objects, toys, books, and art supplies like, crayons, scissors, and pencils.
• Language skills that grow as children interact with others and use words when they play with toys and engage in activities.
• Critical thinking skills through play that encourages problem solving and helps them learn concepts like cause and effect, quantities, or spatial relationships.
• Creativity and imagination; as children pretend to be doctors, teachers, parents, or firefighters, they learn that life is full of possibilities and opportunities.

You are your child’s first and favorite playmate.  You can contribute to your child’s playful experiences by joining in your child’s play. 

You can:

• Observe your child to learn their favorite play activities and to determine his level of skills so you can support and encourage his growth and development.
• Follow their lead, be sensitive to their cues, and target your play to her level of skills and abilities.  Let you child determine the direction of play.
• Use Your Imagination and enter into the creative world of your child’s play.  You will be amazed at how many new and exciting adventures you can have if you are open to new ideas.
• Be enthusiastic!  Getting into playful activities with energy and a willingness to commit yourself to a role as you pretend, to become the characters in the books you read, and to do an activity for the tenth time—these are the loving memories your child will cherish his whole life.

And finally, the most important contribution you can make is to have fun!  As you have playful experiences with your child, you will strengthen your relationship and have the opportunity to support you child in her learning.  And it just doesn’t get any better than that!  So go ahead and play!

Interested in learning more about play activities, explore the PlayBright® Learning System from Children's Home Society of Washington. A sample of the resources are listed below. To learn more visit, www.PlayBright.org.

Content provided by Children's Home Society of Washington