Why is Play So Important for a Child’s Development?

Childhood should be a time of imagination and play. Slipping on your parent’s heels and ties. Cooking up an imaginary feast of spaghetti and meatballs. Building sandcastles on the beach. Throwing a party for all your favorite stuffed animals.

However, during the pandemic, children stayed home, were isolated from peers and spent more time with screens. They couldn’t play tag with friends or climb the monkey bars at the park. While we’ve heard about the impact on older kids, children who were infants and toddlers during the pandemic are now starting to enter school, and teachers are noticing some academic and developmental deficits.

The New York Times quotes a teacher, “‘Children don’t engage in imaginative play or seek out other children the way they used to,’ said Michaela Frederick, a pre-K teacher for students with learning delays in Sharon, Tenn. She’s had to replace small building materials in her classroom with big soft blocks because students’ fine motor skills weren’t developed enough to manipulate them.”

Play not only creates magical memories; it also helps a child’s development. The American Academy of Pediatrics states, “Research shows play can improve children's abilities to plan, organize, get along with others and regulate emotions. In addition, play helps with language, math and social skills and even helps children cope with stress.” In other words, play is essential to helping a child grow into a healthy adult.

Though some young children may lack important skills, you can still help them improve. Play is an effective and fun way to help your child build developmental skills.

There’s no right way for children to play

There’s no right way for children to play, as long as it’s safe, says Fraser Sr. Speech-Language Pathologist and Therapy Mentor Jacque Holman. Some children are builders, while some prefer pretend play. Some autistic and neurotypical children love to line up their toys. What’s important is that children can enjoy play with others.

Fraser Speech-Language Pathologist and Site Manager Valerie Olheiser agrees and adds there are also cultural norms around play. She points to the American ideal of parents sitting on the carpet and playing with children. But that isn’t realistic for some parents, nor is it necessary.

“Think about your daily activities, including chores, and then how your child can do those with you in a fun way,” says Olheiser. “Maybe they can help you sort laundry, pairing the socks by color and then shooting the socks into the laundry basket, like a basketball. By narrating the experience, you’re easily adding a speech component to the activity.”

Play builds communication skills

As Olheiser suggests, using play to build communication skills doesn’t require much planning. You model language for children in everyday tasks, and by including your child in these tasks, you help them build communication skills. If you’re baking cookies together, narrate as you add ingredients.  If you’re playing cars, say something like, “I’m going to have the red car. Are you going to pick the green or the blue car?”

“Ask fewer questions, and use more declarative language,” recommends Olheiser. “And don’t forget to add the sound effects: the crashing sounds and narration are the best part of playing cars!”

Imaginative play also builds language skills. While playing hospital, say, “I’ll be the nurse, and you be the doctor.” Then, keep the conversation going as you continue role-playing.

Books also offer a great opportunity to model language and create an imaginative play scenario.

“Read a book like ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ with your child. Then, go on a bear hunt throughout the house. All you need is a bear and a flashlight.” says Olheiser.

Play builds fine motor skills

Play also helps children build fine motor skills. The OT Toolbox states, “Fine motor skills refer to precision, dexterity and coordination of the hands. These are the skills that allow us to use our hands to manipulate materials like pencils, containers, clothing fasteners and little objects.” These skills are needed to get dressed, take notes and use a fork and knife.

Art projects are a great way to help children build fine motor skills through play. Have your child use scissors to design paper dolls, create crowns or cut out snowflakes. Try paint kits, where they paint within the lines of an image. Even removing stickers from a sheet and placing these in a sticker book builds hand coordination.

Fraser Sr. Occupational Therapist and Occupational Therapy Mentor Kendra Williams suggests making jewelry by pushing small beads on a string or pipe cleaner, which helps your child develop a precise pincer grasp. It also encourages a child to use their hands together, improving their bilateral coordination skills.

You can add a sensory component to a fine motor activity by having a child manipulate shaving cream with a paintbrush, finger paint or make shapes out of silly putty. During bath time, squeezing water toys like rubber ducks can build your child’s finger strength.

Williams also suggests changing your child’s position while engaging in fine motor play. If they’ve been seated in a chair at the table for a while, have them switch to the floor, lying on their stomachs. Tape paper to the wall, or use an easel to color while standing or kneeling. For extra fun, tape paper underneath a coffee table, and have your child lie on their back while coloring above them. Moving their bodies helps keep their focus and allows them to work new muscles in their arms, core and neck.

Play builds coordination, balance, strength, and confidence

Play helps children develop gross motor skills, and gross motor skills help kids improve balance, coordination and physical strength. Gross motor skills also support fine motor skills.

By developing gross motor skills, children also build confidence to engage with peers in activities and turn-taking. As their confidence grows, they’re more likely to try new and harder activities.

To help develop gross motor skills, children should spend time on playgrounds, engage in hopscotch and participate in imitation games like Simon Says, recommends Fraser Sr. Physical Therapist and Physical Therapy Mentor Katie Rush. Have your child try climbing a rock wall, hang from the monkey bars or do wheelbarrow walks to develop these foundational skills.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states, “Outdoor play is particularly important because it lets children use all their senses to build skills like spatial awareness and balance. It can also improve a child's attention span.” So, encourage your child to spend some time outside kicking around a soccer ball, playing catch or engaging in pickleball with a friend.

The book, "Why Motor Skills Matter, " by Tara Losquadro Liddle states, "Enhancements to a child's physical environment promote emotional well-being and self-esteem. The greater a child's self-esteem, the greater their ability to be resilient and navigate situations…Self-esteem and self-confidence can rise in direct proportion to the improvements in physical abilities, muscle strength and balance."

Play can help children regulate their bodies

Building strength and physical abilities increases self-esteem. Play also teaches children how to manage their feelings. When a child feels overwhelmed, they may have difficulty focusing, act impulsively and struggle to calm themselves. But when they learn to recognize feelings in their bodies, they can develop better self-regulation skills. Of course, a little coaching from parents or a therapist can help.

During an occupational therapy session, Fraser Sensory Supports and Training Manager Gina Brady says they often begin by teaching children how to match their energy levels to the activity that follows. If they’re going to do an activity where they’re moving around a lot, like playing tag with a friend, they might need their bodies to speed up to match that energy. They could jump, spin or crash to speed their bodies up. To help a child slow their bodies down and focus, an occupational therapist might have them do an obstacle course by crawling through a tunnel and rolling their body across a cushioned floor.

At home, children can do calming activities like stirring cookie batter or kneading dough. You could also encourage a child to burn some energy on a jungle gym by dancing or doing yoga. Animal walks like a crab walk, bear walk, or duck walk also provide soothing sensory input. Doing these play activities before seated learning activities, like reading or handwriting, can improve focus.

Play can help children manage stress

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “In addition to boosting a child's health and development, play helps to build the safe, stable and nurturing relationships that buffer against toxic stress and build social-emotional resilience. The mutual joy and one-on-one interaction that happens during play can manage the body's stress response.” Research has shown that playing before a new or unfamiliar event can dramatically reduce children's worry and stress.

The pandemic forced children to isolate from each other and spend more time with screens. It also limited their ability to engage in many fun, developmental play opportunities. While some children may lack emotional regulation, fine motor, communication and gross motor skills, they can build many of these skills through different types of play. If you’re still concerned your child may need more support, you can contact Fraser to seek an initial assessment.