Play is an essential development of a child be it Physical, Emotional, Social or Intellectual. Whether the child is playing, on the x-box, I Pad or in inside the house with his or her toys, it tells us a great deal about them, If we only pay attention to it. So what are we looking at ? and what should you generally look for ??
- WHERE :
Where does your child prefer to play? Does he or she like to be in the house with a selected bunch of toys, would he rather have just one best friend to play in the building, is he friends with the world and run about with everyone and everywhere on the playground ? Preferences give us insights how comfortable the child is in different places
- WHAT :
What does your child like to play? Is he the kind who loves only video games? who she shun other kids and play with dolls in a corner or play teacher-teacher ? Is it your child who is monkeying around, disregarding rules of the game and generally having fun disrupting other’s game? Understanding this will help you comprehend a lot of Intellectual skills from creativity to simple problem solving.
- HOW :
How is the child playing…quietly or with lot of ruckus? Does he give instruction to others, follow instructions or get angry when others don’t listen to him? Does he throw the blocks, bang the blocks on the ground or build a tower of the blocks? Can he / she use it imaginatively or does he need to be shown what is to be down? When you start nothing how your child is interacting just with the toys, in the playground it’s a wonderful insight on how he utilizes his skills
- WHOM :
Which age group is the child more comfortable with ? Younger / Older / adults or old people ? If your child generally enjoys playing outside… which group of people is he/she interacting with ? Keeping an eye on playmates is important to safeguard the child against any danger.
- SOCIAL :
Observe how comfortable your child is in a group setting. Does he/she get teased, bullied or he/she is the one doing the teasing and bullying. Early childhood impression of the self does tend to leave impressions and need to be addressed.
- STAMINA
Play improves the child’s endurance and stamina. Lack of age appropriate play affects the child’s overall development. Does your child feel tired quicker than the other children of his age, does he show disinterest in physical activities or does he play all day long and yet would not fall asleep at night
- COMMUNICATION
How does your child talk to others in a group? Is he argumentative, bossy, submissive, does he cry easily? Is he able to make friends understands his opinions? Language is very important part which also develops in play and understanding communication patterns of the child in play will help parents and teachers improve upon communications skill.
