How Do Play Facilities Benefit a Child’s Mental and Physical Development?
It is a fact that all children love to spend a large proportion of their waking hours engaged in different forms of play and recreation. Children have boundless levels of energy and an inquisitive sense when viewing the world, and when they take part in different forms of play, they are building vital skills that will be of significant benefit when they become older. It is recognized that there is a range of clear health benefits to regular play activities which allow improvements to take place in a child’s physical, mental and emotional development. Some of these benefits will be explored in this article. Play can take place in a range of forms, from individual unstructured play sessions where the emphasis is on the child learning about specific tasks to group sessions that are led by teachers or parents, which can promote teamwork and improved communication between children. Put simply, having access to play facilities for your child is a key way to allow them to develop and gain a greater understanding of the world. In this article, three benefits of play will be considered, with an initial discussion on the value of playground facilities for children.
Benefits of playgrounds
School playground equipment such as those supplied by www.huckplay.co.uk can be found in outdoor and indoor areas of the majority of nurseries, pre-schools and elementary schools across the country. These facilities are an important addition to any educational establishment that teaches younger children up to teen-level students. Teachers and school governors recognize the value of playgrounds and will ensure that their premises have a wide range of different pieces of play equipment in these recreational areas. Playgrounds are the ideal place where children can play together and create fun games involving the play equipment. Many play facilities have a mixture of slides, swings, and rope ladders and children will commonly utilize many separate pieces of equipment to form a course, which they can compete against each other to see who can complete it in the shortest time. Playgrounds are a vital way to help children develop physical skills such as balance and dexterity and help to build strength. In addition, they can approach help to improve a child’s communication and social skills as they play with other children and create games of their own on playground equipment.
Promotes independence
Another key benefit of play facilities for children is that they can be an excellent way to improve independence. Many activities for children are led by adults and the child is guided through various tasks. Examples include reading sessions where a teacher or parent will help the child build their skills in reading a simple book or teacher-led lessons that educate children in some basic concepts about the world. Whilst these activities have significant benefits for building a child’s knowledge and understanding of various subjects, it is important that some forms of learning take place at the child’s own pace and on their terms. Unstructured play sessions that are not guided by an adult are an ideal way for a child to work on their own or in groups of children and build their own fun activities. They can set their own rules for games or simply look to enjoy fun activities that can be explored at their own pace. Put simply, unstructured play sessions allow the child to be in charge of their own learning in these situations, which can promote improved levels of independence and problem-solving without being guided through tasks and games by a teacher or adult.
Improves literacy and numeracy
Having regular access to play facilities is an ideal way to help children improve their literacy and numeracy skills. For example, many play facilities will include a hopscotch board on the ground. The simple act of playing hopscotch and hopping from number to number in sequence teaches children basic numeracy skills in addition to improving their motor skills and coordination. Literacy skills can be improved with structured play sessions. An example is the creation of a simple grocery shop using a range of toys and props, such as a child’s cash register. Children can be encouraged to make a range of signs and add prices to some of the items that they will pretend to be selling. This form of play allows a child to use both their imagination and creativity to run a simple shop. They will be learning to write basic words for items that are on sale and will also get elementary knowledge of prices and currency that can help to improve their numeracy skills.
To sum up
Play facilities are extremely important for a child’s physical, mental, and emotional development. Having access to playground facilities is hugely beneficial for a child as they can take part in unstructured play sessions that help to build their independence. The act of play can also be used to improve literacy and numeracy skills in young children.