Play is an essential part of cognitive and emotional development for children. Learn how to support your child through play.
How Play Supports Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development in Children
How Play Supports Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development in Children
Whole Child Neuro
Did you know that play is actually an essential part of cognitive and emotional development for children?
That’s right, it’s more than just fun - play helps our children become themselves.
Think about how much a child changes in the first few years of their life. They grow from helpless infants to small people learning how to use language, interact with others, and participate in the world around them. Play helps facilitate all of these!
What is play?
It’s only in the last few hundred years that we’ve started to conceptualize childhood as a distinct developmental stage, separate from adulthood. For much of history, children were seen as small adults, and were treated accordingly. Once researchers began learning more about child development, it became clear that childhood is a crucial period of development. This increase in interest in early childhood cognitive, emotional, and social development has led researchers to consider the importance of play in facilitating a healthy childhood.
Play facilitates natural learning in children. It’s a way to start to make sense of the world that they find themselves in. Play is also an important pillar of childhood mental health. It’s even been theorized that play played an important evolutionary role for humans in that it allowed us to practice important skills that we needed as adults, which helped our species survive.
Play is “defined as activity that (1) is self-chosen and self-directed, (2) is motivated by means more than ends, (3) is guided by mental rules, and (4) includes a strong element of imagination.”
Play doesn’t require fancy or expensive toys - kids have been playing since before toys were a thing. Toys can certainly enhance play, but they’re not always required, or even wanted! Play requires a child to use their imagination, without being guided by adults. Play is fun for play’s sake. There’s often no goal other than to have fun. There are different ways children can engage in play, which are outlined in these categories below ((Gray, P. (2017)):
Categories of play:
Physical / locomotor play - running, jumping, climbing, chasing, fighting, stacking
Constructive play - building, creating, making art or music, puzzles
Language play - cooing, babbling, reading, learning pronunciation, understanding common phrases, developing puns
Fantasy play - using imagination, playing pretend, creating their own fantasy worlds
Social play - when two or more children play together (can be combined with any other category of play)
Rule-based play - games like chess, board games, or sports
So, why is play so important for children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development?
Play allows children to expand their skills in a way that comes naturally to them. While we tend to think of playtime as just for fun, it’s actually teaching children quite a bit. And they often don’t realize that they’re learning along the way, because they’re having fun! Children love to play, and it comes much more easily to children than it does for adults. Play is an essential building block for cognitive, social, and emotional development in children.
Cognitive development in children
As children grow from tiny babies to adults, there are phases of growth that are developmentally appropriate. These stages of development often refer to developmental milestones that children are expected to reach by a certain age. When children don’t reach these milestones by the time they’re expected to, it can indicate that they need extra support. Often, cognitive development is measured based on these milestones.
How does play help children with cognitive development?
Play gets children excited to learn - it’s child-directed rather than adult-directed. When they play, children are learning what they want to learn, rather than what we think they want to learn. Playing helps children learn to have a sense of control over their own actions, which is how they develop agency. Play helps enhance mental flexibility in children. Playing, especially with others, often means being flexible and open to new ideas (think of a game of peek-a-boo for a small child, or hide and seek).
Play gives children an opportunity to explore their creative sides. Using their imaginations and thinking of new ways to have fun all help build creativity. Play gives kids a chance to act out new situations, or reflect on situations that they’ve experienced. Taking space to practice new concepts or skills through play can help children feel confident taking those skills with them into young adulthood and beyond. Problem solving is a critical skill, and play offers a way to practice solving problems. Play can help children develop concentration skills, which will be essential when it’s time for school.
Emotional development in children
Cognitive development isn’t the only type of development that children need. Part of growing into an adult human is learning how to recognize, process, and regulate emotions. This is something that can be really tricky, even for adults. When children gain experience with navigating emotions, they develop a strong foundation for emotional regulation skills that they can take with them into adulthood.
How does play help children with emotional development?
Play is one way that children try to make sense of the world. Play allows children to act out different emotions, or experience situations they wouldn’t normally. Play can be a source of support for children who are processing difficult emotions. Children often don’t have the language to express their emotions, and play can be an alternative way to express those emotions. When children don’t know how to express themselves, they often turn to play, and much can be learned about their emotional state from the play they engage in.
Play allows children to interact with other children and learn how to work together which can provide emotional and social safety to children. Play can be a source of emotional expression, and can help children practice moving through uncomfortable emotions. Exploring ways to express the energy of their emotions can help them find coping strategies that they can use throughout life. In addition, play helps children learn about themselves and what they’re capable of. Play can help build self-esteem and self-concept in children, which helps them grow into adults with a healthy level of self-regard.
Social development in children
It takes practice to learn how to be a human in our society, and play can help enhance social development throughout childhood. We aren’t born knowing all of the rules for how to be in communities with other people, and yet we still need community to survive. Learning how to engage socially with others is an essential life skill that play can help with.
How does play help children with social development?
Some children prefer to play alone, and at some stages solo play is developmentally more appropriate than group play. But, even when they’re playing alone, play is an important pillar in the development of social skills. Play helps us figure out how to be around other people. Play can help teach children to work together, to negotiate, to listen, to consider the perspectives of others, to be curious, and to think independently. Play also teaches children how to disagree, how to manage conflict, and how to
One of the reasons that play is so essential to social development is the way it encourages communication. Communication is essential for building social connections. Play helps children develop language and communication skills that help them navigate the world and the other people in it. Play also strengthens the bonds that caregivers have with their children, and can play a role in developing a secure attachment.
Finally, play can help children lower their stress levels! Play can also be a protective factor for children who are experiencing stress. Think about how good it feels to goof around with a pal when you need to blow off steam. Play is a chance for kids to laugh, move, have fun, and experience connection, and in turn, play helps them develop into the young people they will become.
How to support play as a parent
If you’re a parent, you might be wondering how you can best support your child’s ability to play. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Provide open-ended toys
Toys like blocks, art supplies, or dress-up clothes encourage creativity and problem-solving. Offering options for various types of play can help them get the creative ideas flowing, and help them find something that they’re excited about.
Ask open-ended questions
While playing, you can ask your child, "What happens next?" or "How can we build this taller?" to spark their thinking. Encourage them to use their imagination and creativity instead of taking over.
Give them space to explore
Let your child play on their own or with minimal guidance. This encourages them to use their imagination and develop independent thinking skills while they’re having fun.
Let them be bored
It’s okay for children to be bored some of the time! In fact, boredom can help children find new ways to engage in play, as a way to entertain themselves. Finding a way out of boredom can spark creativity, problem solving, and communication skills.
Interested in learning more?
Play is essential for children, and has a big impact on cognitive, social, and emotional development. The reasons that play is so important for children contribute to why play therapy is so effective for children. If you’re looking for mental health support for your child, we offer play therapy at Whole Child Neuro. Contact us today to learn more or get started.