"Children today spend half as much time playing freely outdoors than they did in the early 1980s(12) and significantly more time in structured activities. Free time is necessary to social development: the social brain doesn't grow without practice. On average, children under six spend two hours a day in front of a computer screen--three times as much as they spend reading offline or being read to(13). Nearly half of babies use screen media every day(14). We're not saying that the rise in autism spectrum conditions is linked wholly or even in part to these factors--but we would like you to think about how all of these things interact to provide less time for all children to learn empathy, less time for them to ease one another's stress, and less emotional connectedness overall." Bruce Perry, M.D., Ph.D. and Maia Szalavitz, Born For Love, pg.95
With our increased connection and dependence on technology, it may seem more of a hassle to make time for kids to play. A common perception of play is that it is a waste of time where academics or rote memorization would be more beneficial. Play, academics and memorization all serve a purpose, yet play is more beneficial than many may think. According to Siegel (2012) and Axline (1981) play is the natural language of children. This concept makes more sense when thinking of young children who are first discovering their worlds.
Without verbal language development, young children and babies first perceive their world as little scientists through the senses (Cherry, 2013). That's why we've seen babies put things in their mouths--one of their most developed senses is taste. With neuroscience as well, children's right hemispheres are more developed, which is linked with emotions, abstract ideas and creativity (Siegel, 2012). Play is a child's first experience with the world. You may see a child picking up an object and dropping it over and over again. This may be a lesson in gravity and physics. The neural pathways are forming, and children play to build stronger connections in the brain.
This world is new to children and sometimes adults can forget how novel experience was beneficial to learning in their lives. With school age children, play can serve in improving social skills such as conflict resolution and emotional regulation. When adults are there to model problem solving skills, use of creativity, and talk through emotions, stronger bonds are formed, and important skills are taught. These skills will benefit a child as an adult when working with others, and in interpersonal relationships for a lifetime.
Sample activities for children that promote learning:
Research and draw plants or bugs in your backyard
(science, anatomy, classification)
Sand play, Play Doh, Water play
(volume, states of matter, solids, liquids, fine motor development)
Visit the zoo/aquarium
(ecology, animals, may lead to more reading)
Story telling with a set of words to use
(creativity, public speaking skills, increase vocabulary, logical sequence of stories)
Building a tree house or a structure
(motor skills, planning, listening skills, following directions, team work)
BLOCKS
(motor skills, spatial awareness, planning, physics, patience, problem solving)
Additional Resources:
The Benefits of Toy Blocks | ParentingScience.com
All About Unit Block Play | EarlyChildhoodNews.com
Play & Children's Learning | Natl. Assoc. for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Children & Play | The Creativity Institute
Children Activities | ChildrenActivities.org
Take Back Your Family Time | Bill Doherty, Ph.D.
References:
Axline, V. M. (1981). Play Therapy. Random House.
Cherry, K. (2013) The Sensorimotor Stage of Cognitive Development. Retrieved from: http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/p/sensorimotor.htm
Perry, B. D., Szalavitz, M. (2010). Born For Love: why empathy is essential--and endangered. New York: William Morrow.
Siegel, D. J. (2012). The Whole-Brain Child. New York: Bantam Books. 12. W.J. Doherty, Overscheduled Kids, Underconnected Families: The Research Evidence, April 2005, Family Social Science Department, University of Minnesota, http://www.extension.umn.edu/parenteducation/research.pdf (Googled Update: http://www.uiowa.edu/~c169070/resources/overscheduled.pdf)
13. V.J. Rideout, E.A.Vandewater, and E.A.Wartella, Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers, Kaiser Family Foundation, Fall 2003,
14. Ibid. (Cited from: Perry, B. D., Szalavitz, M. (2010). Born For Love: why empathy is essential--and endangered. New York: William Morrow.)
