We all want our kids to enjoy their childhood and explore many different things. We want them to be interested in books. We want them to explore modern technology. We want them to go outside and appreciate nature.
There are so many scenarios in which children can blossom and play, and although we often deem playing as leisure activity, there is more to it than that. Play is, in fact, one of the most important things a child needs to do during their development.
Below are a few reasons why playing is so important for children:
- Play helps them learn how to get along with other kids. When your child has a playmate, they learn how to socialize with other kids and how to deal with different social situations. It is very important to their social development and fluency.
- It builds imagination. What’s more fun than pretending you are the king or queen of your own kingdom or an explorer finding treasure? When children are allowed to create a world of their own, their imaginations expand, which serves them in all other aspects of their lives as they grow older.
- It promotes physical development. There is actually a lot of physical activity involved in playing, which helps kids develop better balance, eye-and-hand coordination, and strength.
- They become team-oriented. Your child will be more at ease when working with other people and will learn to value teamwork and hard work in order to achieve their goals. For instance, if they want to build a small house, they need to work together and divide the responsibilities to bring it to life.
- Play is exercise. Your child becomes more active, which leads to better health.
- They learn. There is so much to learn when children play. Their motor skills are developed, and they can learn concepts that they see in books or from school like colors and shapes.
- They develop confidence. With obstacles to face and new skills to learn, children build confidence when they achieve small successes, whether physically or in their minds.
- Play is fun. Who wouldn’t want their children to have fun? Childhood happens quickly, so it is important for children to get to fully experience it, laugh, and feel free.
nique lamp base out of them. If you have old character toys, you can use a lamp kit to convert them into a lamp stand. For example, your child’s favorite teddy bear may not be something they play with anymore, but displaying it as a light source is a fun way to keep it around for sentimental purposes.
Few things give your child more joy than a new toy (except for maybe the box that it came in…). Toys help to create a vast colorful world of endless wonder and make-believe you and I can no longer really “see”.
Candy, TV Shows, Toys and even what to wear, there are a lot of things a child CAN make choices on. Oftentimes, we do the choosing for our children and sometimes we just give in to what they want the first time… not always the best option.
Minnieland Academy is committed to supporting health and nutrition by planning physical activities both indoors and outdoors, serving nutritious foods and implementing gardening and cooking experiences. Studies indicate that children who grow their own food are likely to eat more fruits and vegetables.
In the spring we prepare our gardens for planting and by mid-summer they are brimming with bounty for our children to harvest and enjoy. These range greatly in diversity with some schools opting to plant in garden boxes while others cultivate garden plots or collect recyclable materials to try their hand at container gardening.
Throughout our Minnieland programs you will see a variety of gardening such as herbs growing in window sills, flower beds planted to attract butterflies, and salsa or pizza-themed produce growing in vegetable patches. Sunflowers are also a favorite in many of our gardens.
