Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Amazing Children and their Play!

Here is a great article on play. It reinforces that play is children's work. Play is an essential part of brain development. Young children need time to play in a variety of settings. At Mommy, Daddy and Me playgroups young children have an opportunity for structured play time with a activity, dramatic play time, open play ( child's choice), circle time, snack time and clean up time ( yes, clean up can be fun!). Some key points from the article:

Play can be an effective and enjoyable way for children to develop skills:

  • Language skills when they play name games, sing songs, and recite jump rope rhymes.
  • Thinking skills when they construct a block tower, follow directions to a game, and figure out pieces to a puzzle.
  • Small-muscle skills when they string beads, make clay figures, and cut with scissors.
  • Large-muscle skills when they play ball, roller skate, and run relay races.
  • Creative skills when they make up stories, put on a puppet show, and play with dress-ups.
  • Social skills when they team up to play ball games, discuss rules for a card game, and decide who will play what part in dramatic play
http://illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/importanceofplay.htm

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