How Playtime Helps in Early Learning

Sometimes, as adults, we tend to think that playtime for children is limited to only a form of entertainment. Homework or chores may be given more preference and children’s playtime may not be seen as being productive. 

However, being the mother of a six-year-old, I have noticed that playtime actually helps in the holistic development of children. For example, during the recent celebration of a festival, my house was filled with children under the age of ten. When they had to decide what they wanted to play, it was an intense scene of negotiation and collaboration. They analyzed the situation (“Last time we played hide and seek so this time we have to play something else!”), they appraised the resources (“We have this new set of play clay, shall we try that?”), they looked at the pros and cons (“No clay! I don’t want to spoil my dress.” “I can’t run too much, I’ll trip in this”) and finally a consensus was reached (“Okay let’s play catch then, and after that, we could play a pretend shop game”). 

So many young minds talking, co-operating, asserting, listening and learning, all during play. 

Even the toys that children play with are more complex than we think. There is a lot of thought put behind them when they are designed and they are often designed to accommodate trial and error to help children explore different methods of play. 

In many cases, toys are also designed to be open-ended to help children expand their imagination and creativity. A set of building blocks doesn’t makeup one specific model, instead, the blocks can be used to make various different things like buildings, cars, or whatever the young eager minds of children can conjure up. Given my son’s love for aeroplanes, our set of building blocks, though intended for something else going by the instructions,  often gets transformed into an airfield!

Not just toys, but puzzles too are a great way for children to learn during playtime.

Puzzles can play an important role in helping young children develop shape recognition skills and a good memory. When children see that a particular jigsaw puzzle piece fits into only certain gaps, it can help them develop spatial reasoning. And in order to solve the puzzle, they will need to remember the logical concept for the other pieces as well.

And practice makes you get better! I’ve seen children solve puzzles in a jiffy on their third or fourth try!

Children can also learn about strategizing when they solve puzzles. Have you noticed that after solving a few jigsaw puzzles children often start sorting out the corner pieces first? This helps them solve the entire puzzle faster, a strategy they learn by themselves during play.

Playing with puzzles teaches children to set smaller goals to achieve a bigger objective. Take a Rubik’s cube for example. Children may take a few tries, but they eventually figure out that you need to solve one side at a time to solve the whole cube. 

Completing a puzzle can also help boost a child’s self-esteem. Since puzzles have a definite end when they are solved, they make children feel like they have accomplished something. I’m sure you can recollect the big, beaming smile on children’s faces when they finish solving a puzzle!

And then there's this whole world of phy-gital (physical+digital) which combines learning and play by making digital games way more tangible.

Apart from the social, cognitive and emotional benefits, playtime is one of the best ways for children to learn more about the world around them as it engages their curiosity.

As parents and adults, playing with children and being a part of their process of exploring the world is a unique way to connect with them. A favorite part of my daily routine is when I’m playing with my son; watching him engrossed in his activities, answering his barrage of questions and being a part of the imaginative stories he comes up with. Being a part of my son’s playtime (and learn time) helps me to watch him grow and being a working parent, I’m grateful for such moments that I get with him. 

So yes, there’s more than what meets the eye when it comes to children’s playtime. I strongly believe that encouraging constructive play and being a part of a child’s playtime help in enabling & bettering their holistic development.