Play for the simple pleasure of playing

2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 18:44

What most toys have in common is that they are educational. But is it right to choose a toy solely on the basis of its educational qualities?

Can a child just play to play?

Research has clearly shown that play contributes to the he althy development of children. It helps them learn social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills. He often even prepares them for their start of school, so that more and more parents consider kindergarten to be useless since their child already knows how to count, write his name and sometimes more! It is also true that the child has a lot to learn and it is better that he does it by playing than not, especially preschoolers and children who have learning difficulties. This is why using the game to allow them to develop is not only a recommended choice, but a smart one.

But should all our children's toys and games be absolutely educational? You have to realize that our expectations of them are always growing and that they have less and less free time to simply play. With the crazy hours of working parents,with the sports and cultural activities in which they are registered, with the daycare they attend, the children are so supervised that the child who finds himself alone or without instructions does not even know what to do with his time! We age them so quickly, as if being a child is a disease that needs to be cured as soon as possible!

Playing is a right

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child contains 41 articles that outline the basic rights of children under the age of 18. The right to play is included in Article 31 of the Convention.

Item 31

1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to his age, and to participate freely in cultural and artistic life.2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life, and encourage the organization for the child of appropriate means of leisure and recreational, artistic and cultural activities, under conditions of equality.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989. Ratified by Canada in 1991.

Let them have fun

Is there still room for simple pleasure? Because just because an educational toy can be fun doesn't mean a fun toy is necessarily educational! By digging a little, we can of course find educational aspects to all the games andtoys that at first glance do not fall into this category.

Playing hide and seek teaches them patience, control, perseverance, but it's still a fun game first and foremost! Especially when you pair a bigger one with a smaller one, turn off the lights and play in the dark! Or better yet, outside after the sun goes down!

Playing cards teaches numbers, shapes and colors, the same/not the same, respect for the rules, the patience to wait one's turn and lose or win gracefully. But when you play 52 pick up or make a house of cards, it's fun before it's educational!

You don't have to praise the educational qualities of a book, but if you choose a funny story that contains amusing puns, twists and turns with cream and preposterous situations, and that in addition we read it while making funny voices, pleasure becomes a priority!

I'm-holding-you-by-the-goatee probably teaches them what a goatee is, but it's mostly so much fun!

Barbies? Hula-hooping? Hopscotch? Toy cars? Yes, scratching, all these games have an educational aspect – after all, everything in life is educational, right? -, but they are above all games and toys that allow children to simply have fun.

Baby

Preschoolers need to develop their senses. But you can also play "cuckoo", thebug that climbs, make "prouts" on its feet or on its belly.

2-3 years

The 2-3 year old enjoys repetition and association. The best example is the famous surprise box, whose crank is turned to the sound of circus music and suddenly a man appears. Bang! It's a burst of laughter and we start again!

3-4 years

The 3-4 year old child particularly likes role-playing games. Anything that allows him to disguise himself will please him a lot. It is at this age that they are offered the toy set veterinarian, firefighter, policeman, Indian, but also Batman, Cinderella and their acolytes! He lives a lot in his imagination and that's fine!

4-5 years

From this age, the child likes to learn and show that he is big and that he knows a lot of things. Of course he will find computer games, shape and memory games amusing, but he will find it fun to follow you everywhere and do like mum and dad, play hide and seek, build sandcastles and snowmen.

6-8 years old

This is the age when the child prefers fun toys even more to educational toys. Since he goes to school and his whole day is already devoted to acquiring knowledge, he needs in his free time to clear his mind. Construction games, good and bad guys, sports, as well as doll and role-playing games are popular.

It is essential to have a good assortment of toys andage-appropriate educational games for your children, but before rejecting others because they are not enough, remember that children are children and they have the right to play! They will start school soon enough!