Importance of imaginary play~

Opening up opportunities for play and discovery doesn’t take much. Include books and other types of literature in each activity, the children will look at the pictures and go from there, even if they can’t read. Sometimes I like to make quiet play areas for my children, it allows them to wind down from all of the worlds chaos and allows them to create a strong sense of independence. Many parents don’t agree with child directed play, but creative / child directed play is so important for every child’s development.

These activities allow your child to build strong social emotional skills by playing with another child, sharing who they are

and what they are interested in builds their linguistic skills as well. By not allowing anyone’s judgment get in their way they build self confidence. Children who experience child directed play often have an easier time with conflict resolution and problem solving skills; provided the proper materials are available.

Today was another rainy day and my little ones were starting to get antsy. We are always reading books, crafting, riding bikes etc. But today they just needed something different. So I emptied out one of their bedroom closets and hung a sheer valance up on the open side of the closet, put some blankets down with pillows and then they followed me in with some books and stuffed animals. The smiles on their faces were priceless. They both took to their new nook immediately. My son became a ninja and wrapped one of my clothe headbands around his head. Then he pulled out a tutu for his sister to be the princess he had to rescue from the Queen’s warrior animals…needless to say they took this opportunity by the hand and have been up in their rooms playing for hours. When I told them it was time for dinner, they couldn’t wait to get back up there I think this means we should keep it set up for a while!

So, it doesn’t take much to get their minds going. Sometimes with younger children it helps to read a story out loud first to get their imaginations warmed up, but if you build it they will play!

Happy playing everyone!!