Let’s face it – playtime is serious business for kids. They need to have fun with their toys, come up with imaginative scenarios, and run around with their friends or siblings. All of this is important for their mental and cognitive development.
Fortunately, there are numerous activities you can incorporate in your child’s playtime that are not just fun but also great learning experiences. There are various ways to enrich the body and brain of your child during playtime.
Making playtime a learning experience doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are a few activities you can include in your child’s playtime:
Experimenting with Objects
Playing with toys help in developing the sensory-motor skills of your child as they explore the toy or object and experiment with it. Many kids use abstract concepts and thoughts to turn any object into play, like imagining that a banana is a phone.
Provide your child with various toys and other safe objects and let them experiment with them.
Imagination Running Wild
When it comes to playing, the kids are the experts. Encourage their imagination and creativity during pretend play. You will be amazed by the stories and ideas they come up with. Ensure you provide some safety boundaries but let their imaginations lead the play.
Pretend play helps in enhancing their cognitive skills, like controlling impulses and mental flexibility. Provide them with some guidance and ideas without forcing anything, and your child will have an exciting time.
The Great Outdoors
Outdoor play is certainly one of the most important ones as it helps in the child’s physical development while also enhancing their balance and spatial awareness. It also helps in improving the attention span of children.
Take them to the park to play on the slides and swings, or set up a tent in your backyard to let them pretend to be campers. You can also encourage gardening to learn about plants, gain motor skills, and get a sense of responsibility.
Get in Some Questions
Try to get more involved in the playtime of your child by asking questions about their surrounding that will encourage their thinking. For instance, asking them what color they want their superhero costume to be when they pretend to be a superhero or how cars move when they are building a car with blocks.
Allowing your child to have learning opportunities while they play is a great way to help them grow into creative and curious adults. Remember to avoid forcing every play or game to be a learning experience. It doesn’t have to be. Let your child enjoy their playtime and choose what they want to play.
Mt. Elizabeth Academy ensures all students learn and enhance their skills through various activities during playtime. Our daycare offers after-school programs, vacation camps, infant care, childcare, pre-K early learning, and other early learning activities for families in Acworth, Marietta, Kennesaw, Brookstone, and other areas.
Get in touch with us today for more information.
