The Value of Play

Community Child Care center believes that playing is one of the most effective methods by which children learn. Here are some specific benefits that a day full of playing brings to your child's development.

1. Play helps children learn to problem solve.

Play provides many opportunities for children to learn how to solve problems: negotiating roles in dramatic play, discoving how to mix a certain color, experimenting with ways to construct a sturdy block building, figuring out how to fit a truck into a small space and more.

2. Play helps children learn to discriminate, to sort and classify and to learn what is alike and what is different.

As children play with different materials -- water, paper, wood, paint, manipulative toys -- they learn to discern texture, size, shape and other qualities.

3. Play increases creative thinking.

Children naturally play pretend games and use their imaginations to make ordinary objects represent things in their fantasy world. This is the foundation for later understanding and use of abstract symbols, such as letters and numbers.

4. Play promotes social-emotional growth.

Play provides opportunities to practice the social skills of communicating, understanding one another's point of view, taking turns, sharing and following rules. Through play, children can relax, have fun and develop self-confidence.

5. Play helps children develop language.

Playing with peers allow children to experiment with sounds, words and sentence structure. Play offers children opportunities to express their ideas and to listen to those of others.

6. Children's physical and motor development is greatly enhanced through play.

Children learn how to use and control their bodies in play; the baby reaches out for an object, the three year old tries to skip and jump, the six year old learns to ride a two wheel bike or the nine year old plays team sports and wants to skateboard. Activities such as using glue and paint brushes, building with blocks and putting together a puzzle help children develop small muscle control as well as eye-hand coordination.