Preschool children spend most of their time playing. Sometimes it seems to adults that while playing, children are wasting time on useless activities, because the game is perceived as an idle pastime and self-indulgence. In fact, play is the leading activity for preschoolers. This means that play is essential for the development of children of this age.
The developmental impact of play on a child is impossible without the participation of an adult. The younger the child, the more involvement in the game process is required from the parents. When a baby is just starting to play, mom and dad are his favorite play partners. Parents can initiate games themselves or support the child's initiative. At an older age, parents can act as outside observers, assistants, and counselors. In any case, an adult acts as a guide to the world of the game.
Impact of play on child development
During the game, the child develops physically, mentally and personally. Let's take a closer look at how games affect child development.
- The development of the cognitive sphere. In the process of playing, the child actively learns the world around him, gets acquainted with the properties of objects, their purpose. This aspect of the influence of play on development manifests itself at a very early age, when the child does not play yet, but only manipulates objects: puts cubes one on top of the other, puts balls in a basket, tries toys “to the teeth”. Along with the assimilation of new knowledge about the world around, during the game, the development of cognitive processes occurs: attention, memory, thinking. The skills to concentrate, analyze, memorize information formed at an early age will be very useful for a child to study at school;
- Physical development. During the game, the child learns different movements, improves his motor skills. All children love outdoor games: they are happy to run, jump, somersault, kick the ball. In such games, the child learns to masterfully control his body, gains dexterity and good muscle tone, which is very important for a growing body;
- Development of figurative thinking and imagination. During the game, the child endows objects with new properties, models his own imaginary space. At this moment, the child himself understands that everything is happening for fun, but while playing, he really sees money in the leaves, potatoes for soup in pebbles, and dough for fragrant pies in damp sand. The development of imagination and creative thinking is the most important aspect of the influence of the game, because the child has to make non-standard decisions in order to realize the plot of his game. True, recently this property of the game is being exterminated by manufacturers of children's toys, which create a wide variety of play sets for all occasions. The most realistic children's kitchens, laundries, sets for playing in the store deprive children's play of an element of fantasy;
- Development of speech and communication skills. In the process of a role-playing game, the child constantly has to pronounce his actions, act out dialogues between the characters of the game. Games in the company of other children contribute not only to the development of speech, but also the development of communication skills: children need to assign roles, agree on the rules of the game, maintain contact directly during the game. The child learns not only to negotiate, but also to follow the accepted rules;
- Development of the motivational sphere. Role-playing games are based on the fact that a child imitates an adult. During the game, the child, as it were, tries on the role of an adult, at the play level he tries to fulfill his functions. Such a game forms the child's motivation to become a truly adult, that is, to get a profession, earn money, and start a family. Of course, in order for the "correct" motivation to form during the game, the child must have a positive example of adults before his eyes;
- Development of moral qualities. Although the plots of children's games are fictitious, the conclusions that a child draws from play situations are real. The game is a kind of training ground where the child learns to be honest, courageous, decisive, and benevolent. Of course, for the formation of moral qualities, not only a child's play is needed, but also an adult nearby, who will help to see the game situation more deeply and draw the right conclusions;
- Development and correction of the emotional sphere. In the process of playing, the child learns to sympathize, support, regret, and express sympathy. Sometimes it happens that emotional problems of the child “break through” through the games: fear, anxiety, aggression. In a playful way, you can give an outlet to these emotions and live difficult situations for him with the child.
Unfortunately, in recent years, real spontaneous children's play has been supplanted by learning in the form of play or computer games. You need to understand, but neither one nor the other activity is, in essence, the game that gives so much for the development of the child. Of course, real and “high-quality” children's games are not always convenient for adults, because these are huts made of pillows and blankets, construction cities throughout the apartment and a mess. However, it is not worth limiting the child in his imaginations and games, because they correctly say that everything has its time, and childhood is the time of play. A child who has been given plenty of playfulness will be better prepared for the transition to a new stage of his development.
We read on the topic:
- Influence of music on child development;
- Modern gadgets (the impact of gadgets on a child);
- The influence of fairy tales on the development of the child.
