Did It Seem Like All They Did All Day Was Play?
Understanding the immense benefits of play for your child’s early development is key—it’s learning in disguise. Motor skills, social skills, self-esteem, and perseverance are just a few of the rewards of playtime. For children, play is their way of living, exploring the world, and learning.
Early childhood play can be categorized into five general types:
- Solitary Play The child plays alone, seemingly unaware of others.
- Onlooker Play The child observes other children playing.
- Parallel Play Children play similarly with similar toys but don’t interact.
- Associative Play Children interact, including sharing materials, but don’t play the same game.
- Cooperative Play Children play together, helping each other or taking turns.
But even though it might have seemed like they were just playing all day, they were actually engaging in self-expression and creativity, developing motor skills, spatial awareness, shape and form concepts, hand-eye coordination, cognitive abilities, decision-making skills, communication skills, a sense of mastery over their world, and building a positive self-image.