by Why play is important for kids and adults? When you’re young, play helps you learn about the world and build essential skills that will make it easier to succeed when you grow up. When you’re older, play can help you relieve stress, get fit, or even help you make new friends! Here are 10 reasons why playing more can make your life better in the future.
How Playing Builds Stronger Social Skills
Children who spend more time playing tend to have better social skills. In one study, researchers found that children with weak social skills were often more involved in solitary play and less likely to have friends.
Other research shows that kids who engage in free play learn problem-solving, communication, and negotiation skills as they negotiate what games to play together and how to resolve conflicts or differences of opinion.
These skills translate into adult life: employees with strong interpersonal communication are more likely to get hired, advance at work, earn promotions, and be happy at their jobs . This seems like common sense but if you’re an adult you may find yourself spending too much time on your business without enough play which can lead to a potential crash.
How Playing Reduces Stress
There are many reasons why kids should play – it’s fun! And physical activity helps build a healthy body. But playing can also reduce stress and anxiety, which helps us sleep better and have healthier relationships with others. How? A brief period of play releases endorphins, which are feel good hormones that make us feel more relaxed.
We learn to calm ourselves when we feel stressed or upset by going off on our own and being active with our imaginations and bodies. If children never have time to play they can miss out on these important benefits!
How Playing Can Calm Down Emotions
Playing helps you exercise your brain, which can be a great way to help you relax after a long day. When you play, you’re able to use and develop new neural pathways in your brain – which means that with each game, puzzle or problem you solve, those pathways grow stronger.
A more active brain also leads to an emotional state that’s better regulated and more positive than other types of activities like watching TV or looking at your phone. One study from The New York Times has shown that kids who play have a harder time experiencing stress and negative emotions when they are given challenging tasks – so as adults, we should remember that playing can help us regulate our moods too!
And Much More!
No one knows why playtime seems to be so critical at certain times, but there’s good evidence that children who engage in more unstructured and creative play tend to exhibit greater levels of self-control, social competence, confidence and general well-being.
Parents who insist on no fun as a way to reduce mistakes or naughtiness may be doing their kids a disservice by interfering with their ability to learn how to regulate emotions and explore new ideas. These are important skills later in life.
A child needs time each day that’s theirs alone—when they can do whatever they want with whomever they want without adult interference or judgment.
Conclusion – The Importance of Play in Our Children’s Lives
It’s not just an indulgence that parents or teachers give their children. When we read a story to a child, they absorb language and literacy skills while practicing their imagination at every turn. When children play, they also learn valuable social skills such as sharing and negotiating with others.
Their creative juices flow while they explore new opportunities, take on new challenges and begin to find out who they are in an increasingly complex world. So next time you wonder what could be more important than yet another game of Candyland or Chutes & Ladders with your little ones, remember: Playing teaches life lessons that are both fun and vital.
