“Play benefits motor development by encouraging movement understanding of spatial relations, promoting motor planning skills, and supporting balance and dexterity,” Mendez says. Physically, play benefits children in a few ways, namely in the development of their fine and gross motor skills. Creative, open-ended play helps children conceptualize, brainstorm, and exercise critical thinking skills. Play also inspires children to pretend, create, and imagine. It allows them to use their senses and encourages exploration and curiosity, and these skills are the foundation of intellectual development and cognitive processing.” “Young children learn how things fit together through play. It reinforces memory, helps children understand cause and effect, and, according to Mendez, helps children explore the world - and their role in it. Play promotes healthy development and critical thinking skills. It gives them an outlet for creativity and experimentation, and play helps them learn how to interact and communicate with others. Play allows children the chance to emulate what they see and practice skills. Mayra Mendez, PhD, LMFT, a licensed psychotherapist and program coordinator at Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica, California, tells Healthline, “Play is important because it provides a primary foundation for learning, exploring, problem-solving, and building an understanding of the world and your role within it.”īut how do children learn through play? Well, it’s simple. While the benefits of play are innumerable - play helps children develop cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally - there is more to play than fun and games.
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