Experts New Anthem: Let Kids Play

Do you know about the most famous painting on children play? Pieter Bruegel completed his work in 1560 by the name of “Children’s Games.” Scholars have counted that 246 children, from toddlers to adolescents, are playing games in a town square in this painting.

They are playing different games in this painting including climbing games, marbles, ball games, and dolls etc. Though no modern foam padding for playground is seen, there are more than 90 games on display in this painting and only children and their activities are on the display.

Contemporary world dilemma

But our times have seen a shift in this playing culture of children. Most of the parents are worried that our current culture is not friendly enough to play for their kids. Our kids are not getting enough chances to explore the possibilities to play. To address this issue, the American Academy of Pediatrics came up with a policy statement titled “The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children.”

What do experts say?

This new policy statement highlights play as an intrinsically motivated activity, involving active engagement that ends with “joyful discovery.”

This research has many interesting discoveries to share with its readers. It includes extensive neurological and developmental research studies on kids play. It explains how peek-a-boo games help in specific developmental discoveries in children. This policy encourages the parents and doctors to promote playful learning in kids. There is a mention of “prescription for play” for every child in the first two years of life.

But even having researches on the importance of play, this children’s activity seems under siege. Our kids today are living in a strictly structured environment. Parents are too strict with their time and schedule and more than 30 percent of kindergartens offer no recess to the children. Some parents even consider the play as irrelevant and old-fashioned.

How kids can prosper?

There is an old saying “Play is the work of children.” Play is the medium where they learn and develop in every aspect. So when playground equipment is installed in schools, churches, or communities, it is for us to understand that it is meant to encourage play in the kids not just to kill the time.

With these modern structures and commercial playground equipment, kids learn 21st-century skills during the play. They interact with children and learn social and emotional skills. All these skills are important for the kids in the new economy. It helps them innovate and collaborate.

One area that can help in inculcating this sense of play is strengthening the parent-child relationship. The when a 3-month-old interacts with the parent, his/her language and socio-emotional skills are taking turns. A stable parent-child relationship, when built on healthy interactions, helps in children fighting stress and trauma and prevent them from damaging their development.

So what parents need to do is to help their children play and support them when they are ready for the next step in life.