The Importance of Free Play In our fast-paced and rapidly evolving society, the pressure for parents to raise super-genius, multitalented, well-rounded kids is at an all-time high. In a culture where it seems that being average is no longer considered sufficient, parents often feel the impending pressure of ensuring that their child is extraordinary by making sure to give their children a head start. Consequently, many parents worry that their kids might be wasting time “just playing” when they could be participating in intellectually stimulating activities that promote pre-reading or math skills. Adding to the hype, the media often exaggerates scientific findings flooding parents with the idea that they need to provide their children with
…show more content…
According to a report by Ginsburg from the American Academy of Pediatrics (2007), play is essential for a child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development and research shows that high levels of play directly correlate to a child’s cognitive development (Bergen, 2002). Play provides important learning situations in all areas of developments, including intellectually. Free play offers important mental developments by enhancing a child’s problem-solving skills, boosting their creativity, and laying a foundation for intellectual growth. Play encourages creativity and problem-solving as children face divergent problems in the play scenes they create. Children being to think outside of the box to develop unique solutions to their problems thus through play, children can expand their minds by thinking at a higher level. In a study conducted by Hoffman and Russ (2011), researchers found that more advanced pretend play was associated with higher levels of creativity and children with stronger imaginations and more advanced story-telling skills were better at divergent thinking tasks. This shows the important correlation between creativity and free play; through free play, children have the chance to develop these important skills. Play also benefits a child intellectually by motivating excitement towards learning. When learning is fun, it sets a strong foundation for the future …show more content…
Considered a basic right of every child by the United Nations High Commission for Human rights, the importance of play is demonstrated through the mental, emotional, and social benefits it provides. Thus, the purpose of play is to be a multi-purposeful activity that is vital for all areas of development. Play expands beyond simply being an enjoyable activity; it provides cognitive enrichment like that provided in structured activities and provides additional benefits outside of intellectual development that are often left out of organized
According to a report by Ginsburg from the American Academy of Pediatrics (2007), play is essential for a child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development and research shows that high levels of play directly correlate to a child’s cognitive development (Bergen, 2002). Play provides important learning situations in all areas of developments, including intellectually. Free play offers important mental developments by enhancing a child’s problem-solving skills, boosting their creativity, and laying a foundation for intellectual growth. Play encourages creativity and problem-solving as children face divergent problems in the play scenes they create. Children being to think outside of the box to develop unique solutions to their problems thus through play, children can expand their minds by thinking at a higher level. In a study conducted by Hoffman and Russ (2011), researchers found that more advanced pretend play was associated with higher levels of creativity and children with stronger imaginations and more advanced story-telling skills were better at divergent thinking tasks. This shows the important correlation between creativity and free play; through free play, children have the chance to develop these important skills. Play also benefits a child intellectually by motivating excitement towards learning. When learning is fun, it sets a strong foundation for the future …show more content…
Considered a basic right of every child by the United Nations High Commission for Human rights, the importance of play is demonstrated through the mental, emotional, and social benefits it provides. Thus, the purpose of play is to be a multi-purposeful activity that is vital for all areas of development. Play expands beyond simply being an enjoyable activity; it provides cognitive enrichment like that provided in structured activities and provides additional benefits outside of intellectual development that are often left out of organized