Find out how a few hours of playtime with your kids can benefit them!
Why should I spend my time playing with my kids? Why can’t my kids just play by themselves? Gosh., I am so tired, I can barely feel my feet… why take the kid to the park? he can play at home.. and the list of excuses goes on! I will not lie. I have been there. After a hard day at work where you don’t get even a few minutes to yourself to relax and then coming back to home to only find your kid feeling bored at home and you wonder if I should really take the kid out, play with my child or just relax at home. Well, parents, you do want to hear this, the answer is ‘yes'.
The benefits of the time that you spend playing with your kid might not be visible right away, but it does influence greatly in the overall character building and psychological development of your child. There have been various studies around the world about how spending few hours a day playing with your child can greatly help your kid become more creative, develop more social skills and help you to bond more with them. I can think of the infinite benefits of taking out time to play with your child but below are just a few of them.
1. Helps spark your child’s creativity – Running around in the outside, feeling new things, and looking at new structures can help immensely in building your child’s imagination and hence lets them be more creative. Psychologist Edward Fisher has published studies showing the benefits of play with children in their creativity and cognitive skills development. The best form of play with kids is the ‘pretend play’ or the ‘make-believe play’ that can boost your kid’s imagination and help them approach everything around them in a more creative way.
2. Develop more socialization skills – I think this is the most common discussion that any set of parents can have with each other. Is your kid social? How do I make my kid more social? A very simple approach to helping your child develop his/her social skills is by taking your child outside to play. When your child is in an environment filled with other kids and people he/she develops the art of communication. A simple example of this is when your kid would accidentally take someone else stuff while playing outside, they would make communication and interaction with that person in a way practicing social skills. Also, a great way to prepare your child when they are ready to move into kindergarten and elementary school.
3. Happier Child – Play provides opportunities for kids to express themselves, socially interact, be more co-operative, and adjust better. Being able to express themselves helps a child develop his/her emotional skills and help them regulate their moods. Also playing outside means more vitamin D which has proven in studies to help improve moods and create a positive mental attitude.
4. Builds physical development – The most common and noticeable benefit of letting your child be free and playful is helping them develop their motor skills. It helps them become more physically fit, develop more strength and endurance, and again being outside means more vitamin D which is great for bones.
5. More bonding with your kid – Spending time with your child playing can help you bond better with them. It can help you understand your child’s behavior better and the same goes for the kid – playing with parents can help them understand their parent’s mood and behavior. Also, understanding your child’s behavior and mood can be very helpful when it comes to handling any fussy and cranky situation in the future.
6. Mood elevator – Being outside has proven to be beneficial not only for the kids but also for the parents. How many times have you come back from a trip to the park and said, ‘It felt good to be outside’. So here it is, the way spending some time out in nature can elevate your mood, do you wonder how beneficial it could be for your child’s mood who is curious and energetic all the time.
7. Develop better immunity – When my daughter would fall sick initially I would often hear parents and teachers around me tell me that ‘it’s all rite, her immune system is just getting stronger’. I can’t agree more today! Being outside and playing can be worrisome for a few parents about all the germs and infections out there, but in reality, it’s only helping your kid develop a stronger immune system.
Overall, all these benefits are great reasons why you should as parents spend time playing with your child. But the biggest benefit of all is, by developing all these social, physical, emotional, and relationship skills, it’s only helping your child develop more self-confidence and security in their mind.
Related blog reads
40 Life-changing apps for moms
15 Simple habits of a happy mom
Tips to help you become a more patient mom
How to stop feeling stressed and enjoy motherhood instead
Top 18 time management and organization tips for busy moms
15 Time management mistakes moms are making and how to avoid them
Leave A Comment