Play is critical to a child’s physical, emotional and social development and is one of the primary occupations for young children.
Let me give an example……has anyone seen a child play with water?
A leaf is thrown in a puddle, then a stick, then a rock, then one foot is stomped and each time the child watches what happens.
They RECOGNISE what works and what doesn’t, then they naturally REPEAT the same activity or use different techniques - a stone is dropped from different heights or the child stomps harder or with two feet to see what will happen.
This is then REPEATED until the skill is mastered, the task is complete or someone else has a go.
By doing or watching the activity, the child will REMEMBER what went well and what failed. The next time they do that activity they can choose the best way or experiment again. Children also remember how they FEEL when doing the activity.
Allowing children free time to PLAY builds strong physical, social and emotional connections in the child’s brain.
Yes , young children are messy and frustrating but this is how they learn to REGULATE their emotions, by DOING the activity, REPEATING the activity in different ways, allowing for success or failure and REMEMBERING the best way to do that activity for next time based on their experiences.
Sit and watch your child playing – Are they repeating the activity? Are they experimenting with different ways of doing the activity? Are they chatting to you or a peer or sibling about what is happening? Are they getting frustrated about one way but try another and succeed?
As a carer, its important to observe and support the child to play. Sometimes your child won't want to play (too tired or bored with the activity) which is normal. Avoiding play or highly repetitive play could be a sign of a developmental disorder. If you are concerned, have a chat to your child's educator, family health nurse or GP.
More resources on this topic:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/newborns/play-learning/play-ideas/why-play-is-important