With summer in full swing, many parents have begun to solidify summer routines for their children. Without a daily school schedule, many try to fill the day with educational activities, field trips, and rest. One of the most essential parts of the school day, however, may get forgotten when parents make their summer schedule: recess! Recess gives children the opportunity to play.

What is Play?

Play is a child’s first language. It is nonverbal but focuses on observations in the child’s world, helps them to understand their immediate surroundings, leads to verbal language, to parallel play with other children, and eventually to language and cooperative play. It is used to observe their world, to communicate nonverbally and verbally with others, and to gain an understanding of their environment. Play exists across all ages and cultures, and is central to the development of every person.

Importance of Play

Play is defined as an activity that engages in enjoyment and recreation. While typically thought of as time spent with toys or on a playground, play encompasses much more than that; it can be shooting a basketball, dancing around your room, playing a board game, or even building a sandcastle.

Unsurprisingly, play has many physical benefits for children. Daily playtime enhances motor skills, builds muscle strength and endurance, and improves cardiovascular health. Its benefits reach beyond athletic ability, aiding in social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development.

The act of playing, especially with other children, is essential in the development of social skills. Children learn to cooperate, take turns, communicate rules, understand fairness, and resolve conflicts. These basic social skills are the building blocks for emotional intelligence and give children the tools they need to communicate effectively.

During play, children experience positive and negative emotions. They may feel frustrated when they lose, when someone cheats, they may feel sad if they get picked last for a team, and they may feel happy when they win or play well. In order to continue a game, children must learn to self-regulate and be resilient. Through playing with peers and observing their behavior, they learn how and how not to regulate these big emotions. Similarly, play can serve as a buffer for a lot of negative emotions and mental health issues. It has been observed to alleviate certain internalizing symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

Furthermore, play can help promote cognitive development in children. Whether they are engaging in social or individual play, they are developing problem-solving abilities, creativity, strengthening memory and attention span, and improving their language skills. When children engage in play, they must remember rules, learn quickly, switch tasks, and often teach each other, all promoting cognitive flexibility and development.

All the skills learned during playtime improve behavior off the playground by making them more equipped to deal with social situations, emotions, and challenging tasks. It lays the groundwork for future learning and well-being, making it essential for any child’s upbringing. So, when you’re trying to jam-pack your child’s day with activities to keep them busy, but don’t forget the many benefits of playtime.

We offer psychoeducational evaluations, psychological testing, adult ADHD testing, autism assessments, independent school entrance testing, developmental assessments, and neuroaffirming evaluations. Contact Sarah Smathers at sarah@georgetownpsychology.com or (301) 652-5550 to schedule an appointment or for more information.