Why is play important in early childhood?
Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them.
What are the 12 features of play?
The 12 Features of Play
- Children use first hand experiences from life.
- Children make up rules as they play in order to keep control.
- Children symbolically represent as they play, making and adapting play props.
- Children choose to play – they cannot be made to play.
- Children rehearse their future in their role play.
What are the benefits of child led play?
Child-Directed Play
- Build a sense of self-direction and self-confidence in your child.
- Foster child language and social development.
- Allow your child to receive focused attention from you without having to misbehave to get it.
- Strengthen your parent-child bond.
- Help you practice parenting skills.
Why is outdoor play important for children’s learning?
The outdoor environment offers space and therefore is particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. Very young children learn predominately through their sensory and physical experiences which supports brain development and the creation of neural networks.
What are the advantages of outdoor activities?
What are the personal benefits?
- Physical benefits. It doesn’t matter what type of outdoor activity you do, it’ll entail some form of physical movement.
- It’s good mental exercise.
- Personality development.
- Improved behaviour.
- Better social skills.
- Increased work productivity.
How does physical activity affect child development?
Physical activities promotes healthy growth and development. It helps build a healthier body composition, stronger bones and muscles. It also improves the child’s cardiovascular fitness. Physical activities helps in the development of better motor skills and in concentration and thinking skills.
Why is physical activity important for brain development?
Exercise stimulates the brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in a wide array of important cortical areas of the brain. Recent research from UCLA demonstrated that exercise increased growth factors in the brain—making it easier for the brain to grow new neuronal connections.