What is the importance of parents playing with their children?

Parents are their children's first playmates and playtime with parents is one of the most important aspects of a child's development. As a child therapist, I often see the positive impact of play on children's emotional well-being. In this blog post, I want to highlight the importance of parents playing with their children and how it can benefit their overall development.

Play is a fundamental part of a child's life. Children use play to learn, explore, and understand the world around them. Through play, children develop their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills. Play also helps children to build relationships, form attachments, and develop a sense of belonging. When children are playing “house” with dolls, they may be trying to understand how families interact with one another and what roles they play.

• Build Self-esteem and Confidence

Through play, children are given the opportunity to build self-esteem and confidence. It can be easy to overlook the challenge of opening a Playdoh container, but it is worth it to see the child’s face light up when they realize they can do it by themselves with you cheering them on. 

• Strengthen parent-child attachment

When parents engage in play with their children, it helps to strengthen the parent-child bond. Children feel loved, valued, and supported when their parents play with them. It also helps to create a sense of safety and security in the kids. This sense of safety and security is essential for healthy child development, as it allows children to explore and learn new things without fear. It also lays down the foundation of how children see themselves and the people around them.

• Promote healthy brain development.

One of the most important benefits of parents playing with their children is that it promotes healthy brain development. Research shows that play promotes the growth of neural connections in the brain, which are essential for learning and cognitive development. Play also helps to develop executive functioning skills, such as problem-solving, planning, and decision-making. It can be really difficult to stop their body from moving when playing Red Light, Green Light. This is important skill that can transfer to the school.

• Learn communication Skills

Through play, children also learn how to communicate and express themselves. It helps them to develop their language skills, as well as their nonverbal communication skills. Almost 60% of communication is nonverbal and it’s even higher for kids. Think about that next time when your children start hitting each other. They are clearly communicating something! 

• A Felt Sense of Safety and Non-judgment

Play also provides an opportunity for children to express their thoughts and feelings in a safe and non-judgmental environment. There are no right or wrongs, unless someone or something’s safety is in jeopardy. 

• Promotes Physical Development

Play also helps to promote physical development in children. It encourages children to move their bodies, develop gross and fine motor skills, and develop hand-eye coordination. Physical play, such as playing catch, running, or climbing, helps to promote overall physical health in children.

• Develop Their Imagination and Creativity

Parents who play with their children also help to promote creativity and imagination. When parents engage in imaginative play with their children, it helps to foster their creativity. Children learn how to think outside of the box, explore new ideas, and create new worlds. Parents are also there to help them adapt these ideas to make sense of them. 

• Develop Empathy

Through play, children also learn how to work together with others. It helps them to develop teamwork and collaboration skills, as well as problem-solving skills. Playing with others also helps children to develop empathy and understanding of others.

• Build Resiliency and Adaptability

Parents who play with their children also help to promote resilience and adaptability. Play provides children with an opportunity to experience failure and learn how to cope with disappointment. Through play, children learn how to take risks, try new things, and adapt to new situations.

Playing with children is one of the most important things parents can do for their child's development. It helps to promote healthy emotional, cognitive, physical, and social development. Parents who engage in play with their children help to strengthen the parent-child bond, promote healthy brain development, and foster creativity and imagination. So, parents, take some time out of your busy schedules to play with your children. It will not only benefit their development, but it will also create memories that will last a lifetime.