In children, play comes naturally, It is in their context of learning and development. In adults, it is usually a contemplated effort, a pretend play. Parents need to invest in playing with their children. Although parents have many competing pressures ranging from family needs, children needs, work needs, friends’ needs, and so on. These pressures often crowd out the importance of play, fun, and other shared relaxation they ought to have with their children.
Research has shown that parent’s play with their children is important to children’s learning development. There’s a lot written and a lot to learn about play in children, but the focus of this article is about parents getting involved in their children’s play activities. Ordinarily, parents teach, read, guide, and do other forms of parenting, and these have substituted the importance and significance of playing with their children.
Some factors contribute to the inability of parents to play with their children . First, play requires reserved energy, which some parents don’t have due to many other commitments and other responsibilities they have. Again, some parents have bad temper, some are often distracted by work, some are too critical and serious, some were raised without memories of play and can not give what they dont have. The truth is, most parents are terrible playmates to their children, they either do not have the time or energy to play, or they don’t play the way their children like.
Children practice their learning through play. Play gives them a reinforced learning pattern that can not be achieved through classroom methodology. Children who play with their parents are capable of lots of rich learning opportunities that help them in many ways.
Common ways parents can play with their children
- Take a walk with them. Play, take them to play parks, push swings for them, throw balls, and engage in other outdoor games.
- Be part of their crafts and skills like drawing, painting, moulding, and so on.
- Play games like board games, card games, bowling, and enjoy the fun of losing and winning. Also, make jokes in the process.
- Listen to music with them, dance with them, and learn the lyrics of songs together. There is special fun that music brings, explore that with them.
- Read books with them. Do questions and answers series. Create stories and riddles. Let them come up with their stories too and learn from the lessons of the story.
- Watch movies with them. Discover their interest in their choice of movie. Make explanations where necessary and relate it to life experience. Create family game time and movie nights.
- Take them to pay a visit with friends and family, and also play with other kids. Arrange play time of two or three families if possible.
- Take them to swimming, athletics clubs and other extracurricular activities, depending on their interest.
- Play the keyboard, guitar, violin, and other musical instruments with them.
- Bake, cook, decorate, and design with them. There are lots of activities in the family that parents usually do alone. Involve the children and watch them learn with excitement.
The importance of parents-child play
While play is very important to a child’s development, parents play with their children gives some added benefits, which are;
- It helps in the optimal child’s development. It makes children feel more at home, strengthens their brain development, and builds new skills and competences in them.
- It fosters parents-child bonding. It builds closeness and enhances trust of children in their parents.
- It helps to build the self-esteem of children. Nothing boosts the morale of children than having the support of their parents in all that they do.
- It provides children with many opportunities to explore their world. They are more equipped and prepared by their parents to embrace their reality.
- It provides children with the opportunity to learn new skills and develop existing ones.
- It enhances child directed play, which improves their self control, self recognition and makes them take charge of their their feelings.
- It builds love, fondness, and joy in the family.
- It helps children cope with stress, process their emotions, and build their mental being.
- It makes children feel secure, confident, and happy.
- It reduces noise, mess, and risks in the family. It also prevents too many injuries and damages in the family.
Having stated these, it is important for children to sometimes be given time to play on their own or with their fellow children because it builds their cognitive skills and has other benefits, which playing with their parents does not give.
Children crave time with their parents, and the best way for parents to respond is by creating play time with their children. This parents-child play time is healthy for both the children, their parents, and the entire family wellbeing.
Amara Ann Unachukwu
