Creative Play is Essential for Children Everywhere Today

As coronavirus continues to shut down life as we know it and force distancing among family and friends, it’s more important than ever to emphasize creative play with your children. Play is one of the most helpful educational tools we have at our disposal, enabling kids to imagine, think, develop, execute, and implement it all while busy having fun. It stimulates the left and right side of their brains, while engaging motor skills and socializing along the way. It’s something as simple as giving your child a pillow, stick, sand, or even snow. What they do next is up to them – it’s that process that is integral to their development.

We are living in unique times right now as parents spend every single moment with their kids working from home. That’s why it’s so important to use this time to emphasize play, rather than handing kids just another electronic product.

Many psychologists have weighed in to affirm that play is as important to healthy development as sleep, water, and nutrition for kids. Why? It helps children learn to cope and problem solve, think strategically, develop solutions, and learn different perspectives that aren’t the same as their own. Beyond that, it provides children with outlets for physical, mental, and emotional energy, which is paramount if they are struggling, being bullied, or questioning their identity.

What Parents Don’t Realize

Many parents don’t realize that children are always learning. It never turns off. When children play, they are still learning, even if it seems like they are “just having fun.” Parents are electing to hand their kids electronics so they can just have the afternoon to finish their jobs. But, when we do that, we are removing the need for children to “come up with” how they are going to entertain themselves for the day. We cut out that critical moment of creativity.

Watching a child’s mind in motion is something priceless. It’s important that we never take that for granted. If you’re wondering how to encourage this kind of growing at home right now, here are a few ideas:

Provide your kids with materials to make forts and mazes around the house or outside. Watch them essentially create their own puzzle and then complete it.

Give them a massive stack of cardboard boxes. You’d be amazed what kids can do if you give them hallow boxes. Watch them create forts, structures, games, and hidden puzzles together.

Paper plates, products, and markers. Give them the materials they need to get artsy and draw on their structures. The rest is history.

Remember back to the simple fun you had as a child. That simple fun played a major role in the adult you are today. Give your kids the same simple joy that you remember so they can have the same opportunities as you. You need to make play a habit for your kids, now more than ever. Don’t let COVID-19 change how you do things.