Benefits of play in the early years

Play helps children explore, learn and grow. Parents are their child’s first playmates, guiding them to discover the world and celebrate every achievement.

Play is part of everyone’s life! Do you remember when you were a child and loved going outside to play with your friends, or waited for break time to kick balls, jump rope or sing songs while you tried not to miss a beat in clapping games?

What did you play? Who did you play with? How did you feel? Sometimes, it felt like time didn’t exist – we could spend hours playing the same game.

Play means exploring, discovering, understanding and having fun, most of the time. When your children play, they learn about the world around them, learn from others and from life itself. Through play, they try out different ways of being, learn to follow rules – and sometimes break them. Play is essential for every child’s development.

There are as many games as there are people in the world, because all it takes is a bit of imagination and creativity to invent a new game in seconds.

As a parent, you have the gift of being your child’s first playmate. When you play, you build a bond of trust that helps them feel safe and supports secure attachment.

But what kinds of games help your child grow? Play should evolve as your child grows, starting with simple games and moving on to games with more specific rules.

Some games you can share with your child include: playing with objects like balls, building towers with large blocks and knocking them down; singing with gestures and movements using hands and legs; pretending to be different characters, which helps them symbolise and create experiences; sorting objects by shape and colour; throwing balls, jumping, climbing or sliding down slides; crawling, which helps them discover and expand their view of the world; inventing stories with simple but fun descriptions; and playing hide-and-seek or giving clues to find objects at home or on the go.

The key is to offer a variety of activities that use different skills. At the same time, be careful – too many toys can weaken creativity, motivation and the ability to enjoy play.

How do you know you’re enjoying play? According to Imma Marín, author of the book ¿Jugamos?, you enjoy play depending on your attitude. A good playful attitude means: you use all your senses in what you do; you let yourself be surprised by what happens; you let go of control and decide to enjoy whatever comes; you get involved with passion; you turn difficulty into a challenge; you take initiative and contribute to the game.

Try these tips when you play with your child and help them enjoy play. Make it a joyful moment, celebrate their achievements, validate their mistakes without judgement and guide them to build tolerance for frustration.

Through play, your child discovers what they’re capable of and how far they can go. It’s a great opportunity to build self-confidence and learn. That’s why our students, from an early age, explore, learn, solve problems and experiment through play.

Our teachers know that play is serious business and use it as an educational tool to prepare students for life beyond school.