Recently, an article in the popular magazine “Muy Interesante” talked about the secret of toys and highlighted the importance of play in the individual’s maturation process.

This week, from the Mensalus Institute for Psychological and Psychiatric Assistance, we talk about the importance of play in the development of the child and in the well-being of the adult.

Why is it important for children to play?

What is the power of the game?

Play activities strengthen two areas of the grey mass (matter that is part of the Central Nervous System): the cerebellum, which coordinates movements, and the frontal lobe, associated with decision-making and impulse control. The toy plays a key role in these maturation processes since it collaborates in learning the cause-effect relationship (“if I push the truck, it moves”) and in calculating probabilities through trial and error (“if I want the truck to reach the table, I must push harder”).

The power of the game is incalculable. Playing is learning through imagination, discovering through interaction and, above all, having fun. For this reason, playing is a key element for the healthy growth of the individual and the development of their intelligence.

Children change the way they play over the years…

Of course. If we look at them we can see very interesting elements that differentiate one stage from another.Jean Piaget (1896-1980) made a detailed description of the main types of play that appear throughout childhood. This pedagogue observed that from 0 to 2 years old functional or exercise play predominates, from 2 to 6 years old symbolic play is made explicit and from 6 to 12 years old play is made explicit.

In addition, Piaget noticed how, parallel to these types of game, there is the so-called construction game, a type of game that evolves hand in hand with all the others (depending on the stadium in which the child is).

What characterizes exercise games?

The exercise games of the first years of life consist of repeating an action over and over again for the pure pleasure of obtaining an immediate result. These actions can be performed with objects (biting, sucking, throwing, shaking) or without them (crawling, swinging, crawling). At this stage the child develops coordination of movements and movements, static and dynamic balance, as well as understanding of the world around him and others.

The toy industry offers a multitude of options to ensure that the skills described are put into practice. As in the other stages, toys function as “useful materials” for the psycho-sensory-motor development of the child.

Which toys encourage development from 2 to 6 years old?

In this second stage in which symbolic play predominates (that which consists of simulating situations, objects and characters) toys that promote the child’s imagination and motivate him/her to create are interesting. For this reason, it is often better to build a scenario than to have it done in the first place.

Symbolic play facilitates understanding of the environment, puts into practice knowledge about established roles in adult life and encourages language development among others. In short, in this type of play children reproduce knowledge of the reality around them. The more varied the reality they know, the richer the arguments they use (families, doctors, teachers, dancers, shops, etc.). In fact, the selection and development of the argument/theme of the game shows that the child understands more and more vital aspects.

And what characterizes the game of rules (from 6 to 12 years old)?

Rules are socializing elements that teach children to win and lose, to respect shifts and rules, to consider the actions and opinions of other peers, etc. Rules are fundamental to the learning of different types of knowledge, and they encourage the development of language, memory, reasoning and attention.

To better illustrate the learning of the rules, Piaget took the example of the game of marbles: If you give some marbles to 2 year olds, the activity they carry out is of an individual type: they suck them, throw them, push them, etc.

If you give them to children between 2 and 5 years old, even if they receive the rule of how to play, they do it individually (parallel play), that is, they do not try to compete, win, exchange points of view, etc. Finally, if you share them with children over 6-7 years old and explain them how the game is, they understand the rules as mandatory elements and carry out the activity according to the rules.

Accompanying children in this sense is a fundamental task for their maturation.

Why?

For many parents, play is a distracting activity but, in reality, it is a task of greater commitment. Playing contributes, as we have seen, to the integral growth of the infant, and participating in it makes us a key element in this maturing process.

Our figure within the game feeds all the above mentioned capabilities. For example, in the case of symbolic play, it offers a source of information with which the child will have to deal and interact (vocabulary, gestures, procedures, ideas about society, etc.). In the case of the game of rules, limits appear that, later, will develop skills that can be transferred to the rest of life scenarios (for example: waiting).

We all need to play

Do the elderly need to play too?

According to psychiatrist Adam Blatner the need to play in human beings is permanent. Blatner points out that the basis of man’s life is the relationship between four skills: loving, working, playing and thinking. Specifically, this psychiatrist highlights playful activity as a compensatory element for the emotional tension generated by other activities.

The truth is that not all actions can be turned into games. In fact, we would open an interesting debate if we reflected on what would happen if that were the case.

Now then. We can integrate the playful activity in a natural way into our daily life so that it counteracts the tension/tiredness generated by obligation, thus offering a place to creative capacity. For this reason, introducing play as a complementary element (whether it be at the time of playing sport, in a team dynamic, in the practice of a hobby, etc.) independently of the existence of a moment of play with the children, is an emotionally intelligent choice.

Are adults allowed to play?

Many times not. This is where the problem lies. The issue of permissiveness and beliefs related to “duty” take away space from spontaneity, freedom of thought and joy. Therefore, today we do not want to say goodbye to this article without launching a last message: play is part of our way of exploring and understanding the world…

Playing isn’t just for kids.

  • You may be interested in: “9 Games and Strategies to Exercise the Mind”