THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESCHOOL PLAY 

“Rise and Shine” shared that during the pandemic, many children became accustomed to staying home and only interacting with their immediate family. Sharing and playing with others was a completely foreign concept to a lot of kids. As a result, many parents, teachers, and clinicians have noticed social-emotional delays or gaps in young kids learning basic social skills. But don’t worry, your children are adaptable and are learning, even if they are a little behind. Here are some benefits of preschool play and why you should make sure your children are playing with others.

Lower risk of mental health issues

Now that social and societal activities are returning to a new normal and children can go back to school, it is important that your children are playing and socializing with other peers outside the family. Children learn skills interacting with peers that they may not develop when playing with siblings (e.g., turn-taking, moderating emotional responses or frustration, learning to work with others). Research shows that children who play better with their peers are less likely to have behavioral difficulties in the future. Research also shows that children are less likely to fight with their classmates later in life. Preschool play can also lower the likelihood of mental health problems as children get older because they learn the skills to regulate their emotions and cope with new feelings.

Develop crucial skills for the future

You should allow your child to engage in preschool play so that they can produce healthy social skills to create nurturing characteristics such as compassion, empathy, and understanding of the importance of sharing. These traits can help children establish the social skills required to get along with others, which is essential for their healthy development and most importantly, making friends. By playing with peers your child can learn to share, take turns, manage big emotions and practice new skills that are also applicable to life. They don’t need any fancy toys or devices. What matters is that you make time and space to play every day.

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