Do you know that learning through play can support children’s success in both school and life?
Early education is crucial for the development of students. This is why it is ingrained in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) (SDGs).
It is important for parents to carefully consider the preschool they choose for their child. To assist each child reach their full potential, teachers must identify the ideal learning programs. Learning through play has become the best alternative because it motivates children to be interested in what they’re learning.
In this article, we will discuss learning through play, why it is important, and the benefits of learning through play. Let’s get right into it.
What is Learning Through Play?
Learning through play refers to how children can learn and develop essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes through engaging in play activities. Play can provide children with opportunities to explore, experiment, and create, which can help them learn and practice new skills, such as problem-solving, communication, and collaboration.
Learning through play can also be a powerful tool for helping children learn about the world and develop social and emotional skills, such as empathy, self-regulation, and self-esteem.
There are many different ways that children can learn through play. Some are:
- Pretend Play: involves children acting out roles and scenarios, using their imagination and creativity to explore different ideas and concepts.
- Physical Play: Physical play includes activities that involve movement and physical activity, such as running, jumping, climbing, and throwing. This type of play helps children develop their physical coordination and strength and gross and fine motor skills.
- Social Play: Social play involves children interacting with others, such as through games, sports, or group activities. This type of play helps children develop social skills, such as communication, cooperation, and teamwork.
- Constructive Play: Constructive play involves children building and creating things, such as with blocks, Legos, or other materials. This type of play helps children develop their problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, and creativity.
Learning through play can be an effective and enjoyable way for children to develop a wide range of skills and knowledge that will help them in their personal, social, and academic lives.
Why is learning through play important for children?
Children play naturally to explore and acquire a variety of abilities. Play is an engaging and worthwhile way to learn. Children can study at their own pace and level while developing connections thanks to it. Children can communicate, move, and think more clearly when playing.
Some of the way by which play develops Children includes;
• Physical Development
Play helps children develop their physical skills and coordination. Through play, children can practice and improve their gross motor skills, such as running, jumping, and throwing. They can also develop their fine motor skills, such as grasping and manipulating small objects, through activities like building with blocks or doing puzzles.
• Social and Emotional Development
Play also helps children develop their social and emotional skills. Through play, children learn to take turns, share, and communicate with others. They can also practice and understand emotions by acting out different roles and scenarios in their play. Play can also provide a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem as children learn to navigate and master their environment and toys.
• Well-being
Children have the opportunity to improve their well-being because of the significance of learning via play in the early years. Play enhances social, emotional, physical, and cognitive aspects of well-being. As kids become more aware of who they are and what makes them feel in particular ways, they can find solace. Their well-being will undoubtedly increase as they become more aware of their feelings.
Through play, children can release emotional tensions that have been building up and are also encouraged to be spontaneous. Children’s minds might wander while learning, which can be incredibly calming.
Playing with others can make people feel more confident, which can help them feel good about themselves.
• Imagination
Children experiment with the socioemotional roles that play in life through pretend play. They will make up various personalities and imagine what they might say or do.
Through various experiences, children will develop their ability to execute creative play and learn to impart their knowledge to one another.
• Creativity
The value of learning by play in the early years emphasizes the unique ways that each child expresses their creative side. They will learn how things work while applying problem-solving techniques to remove obstacles from their path.
The exercises present difficulty in honing the capacity for situational use of creative thinking abilities.
• Controlling One’s Feelings
Through social play and supervised play, children can develop emotional control as they learn to play in their early years.
As they adhere to tradition, children may feel various emotions, including impatience, eagerness, jealousy, and more. Children can practice self-discipline and impulse control while learning through play.
• Language Development
Play also helps children develop their language skills. Children learn new words and concepts as they talk to their friends and adults during play, and they practice using language to communicate and express themselves.
• Resilience
Children’s anxiety can be decreased because of the value of learning via play in the early years. By developing their interpersonal connections, they will be better able to take charge of their circumstances, lessen issues, and build themselves a support system.
Children learn via play and get a lot of practice overcoming challenges they face, which forms the foundation for resilience.
• Cognitive Development
Play also plays a role in children’s cognitive development, as it helps them learn and practice new skills and concepts. For example, children can learn about cause and effect by knocking over a tower of blocks or practicing counting and sorting while playing with toys that involve numbers or shapes. Play also helps children develop their creativity and imagination as they pretend and develop new ideas and scenarios.
10 Benefits Of Learning Through Play
1. Learning through play encourages creativity and imagination:
Play allows children to use their ideas and creativity to create scenarios, stories, and games. This helps to stimulate their imagination and encourages them to think outside the box.
2. Learning through Play develops Children’s problem-solving skills:
Play often involves finding solutions to problems or challenges, which helps children to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This may include figuring out how to build a tower with blocks, solving a puzzle, or working together with others to achieve a common goal.
3. Play improves social skills:
Play allows children to interact with others and build relationships, which helps them develop social skills such as communication, collaboration, and teamwork. Through play, children learn how to share, take turns, and negotiate with others, which are important skills for socializing and getting along.
4. Learning through play improves physical coordination and gross motor skills:
Play often involves physical activity, such as running, jumping, climbing, or throwing and catching, which helps children to improve their physical coordination and gross motor skills. These skills are important for children’s overall physical development and can help to improve their balance, coordination, and agility.
5. Learning through play increases self-esteem and confidence:
Play allows children to take risks, try new things, and succeed in their endeavors, which can boost their self-esteem and confidence. When children feel successful and capable, it can help to build their confidence and self-esteem, which can translate into other areas of their lives.
6. Learning through play promotes language development:
Play often involves talking, singing, and storytelling, which helps children to develop their language skills and vocabulary. Through play, children learn new words and how to use them in different contexts, which can help to improve their communication skills.
7. Learning through play enhances cognitive development:
Play helps children to learn about the world around them and how things work, which promotes cognitive development and knowledge acquisition. Through play, children can learn about cause and effect, spatial relationships, and other important concepts that help to build their understanding of the world.
8. Learning through play encourages self-regulation and emotional intelligence:
Play allows children to express their emotions and learn to regulate their behavior, which helps to develop their emotional intelligence and self-regulation skills. Through play, children can learn to identify and manage their emotions, which can help them to better understand and cope with their feelings.
9. Learning through play increases fine motor skills in Children:
Play often involves manipulating small objects or using hand-eye coordination, which helps children to improve their fine motor skills. These skills are essential for activities such as writing, tying shoelaces, and using utensils and can be developed through play activities such as coloring, drawing, and building with small blocks.
10. Play increases motivation and engagement:
Play is fun and engaging, which can increase children’s motivation to learn and participate in activities. When children are interested and motivated, they are more likely to engage in learning and retain new information. Play can be a powerful tool for increasing children’s motivation and engagement in learning.
Conclusion
Learning through play is an essential element of your child’s skill development. It can foster imagination and creativity in addition to academic learning.
By putting the above play suggestions into practice, your child will have so much fun that they won’t even be aware that they are picking up essential lessons in the process, from language play to fantasy play and everything in between!