When you’re home with your children, it can be challenging to find ways to be creative and support their learning. We don’t always think about play in this way, but it is a valuable tool to support children’s growth and development. Play is beneficial for both you and your child, allowing for bonding time and making connections, while creating a safe fun environment for creativity and experimentation. When we play intentionally with children, they learn new things, have fun, and feel closer to us. Below are some key developmental areas that can be supported through play and can help shape and develop early skills:
Social-Emotional: Dramatic/pretend is a type of play where children pretend to be someone or something else. A child can take on a role imitating actions and speech. It helps develop vocabulary, learn conversation skills, integrate new experiences, and create transitional opportunities in familiar environments like doctor’s office, grocery store, or school.
Language and Literacy: With interactive storytelling, you can use different voices and tones, as well as encourage dialogue by expanding on the story. Also, repetition of rhymes and songs are good for children’s brains, teaching how language works, and building memory capabilities.
Sensory: Music and movement through activities like dancing, yoga, and obstacle courses, allow children to develop body awareness, use their bodies to express themselves, and release energy.
Math: Hands-on cooking and using recipes helps children to develop fine motor skills, eye hand coordination, and early concepts of math and science through measurements, weights, quantity, and more.
Problem Solving: Support your child’s problem solving skills by observing and joining in everyday exploring of their environment. When they are trying to put together or take apart items, free play allows for them to learn independence and lead in their natural environment.
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