The Importance of Play and Physical Activities in Child Development

Playing is a natural and enjoyable way for children to keep active and is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children. Also, through play, children learn about the world and themselves as they develop their social skills with others. Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, and agility. Play has an integral role in early childhood as from birth newborns form relationships with the people and the world around them through play. Long before they develop the ability to use language young children investigate it using their senses as they look, hear, taste, smell, touch, and move, exploring and discovering at their own pace in their own way. Early playing also has an important role in a child’s intellectual development but perhaps the most obvious benefit of playing is that it increases a child’s creativity.

Like play, one of the main benefits of other physical activities for young children is improving their overall physical health. This is one of the main components of healthy growth and development as physical activities and exercise encourages the development of bones, and muscles, manage weight and even enable healthy sleep patterns. Studies show that varied physical activities also help young children cognitively as they learn endurance, and focus.