The importance of the game between parents and children

The game is an essential part of the psychological development of children, and that is why it is much more than a form of leisure. No, the little ones in the house do not play simply because they have more free time than the adults; These types of activities are necessary and arise from them practically innately (if the right circumstances are given to be able to lead a normal life).

But another of the aspects of play in childhood is that it is not an individualistic experience, but also involves fathers and mothers. Therefore, in this article we will talk about the way in which the game between parents and children is key to the well-being of the little ones.

• Related article: "The 6 stages of childhood (physical and mental development)"

What are the positive effects of playing games between parents and children?

At present, the modalities of games with the children have been progressively replaced by other forms of leisure and more fun. linked to the use of technological devices of all kinds, which do not always allow collective enjoyment in which the entire community participates. family.

To remind us of the great benefit that the game between parents and children has, here is a list of benefits of this type of family practice.

1. Powers the development and strengthening of attachment

Attachment is the intense emotional and affective bond that is established between parents and children when carrying out any activity that unites them, and the game is one of those essential activities to develop and strengthen it.

The game with the children allows to share time together establishing a dialogue supported by empathy and the interpretation of the mental states of the other. And of course, it allows you to have a good time as a family sharing emotions and positive feelings that directly affect the affective-emotional and cognitive development of children. The little ones link the feeling of well-being and fun to the presence of their fathers, mothers and/or caregivers.

In short, all families that put into practice a positive parenting model with their children tend to schedule with relative frequently play sessions of all kinds with their young children, with the aim of creating positive bonds or maintaining those that already exist.

• You may be interested: "What is attachment? Definition and types of attachment"

2. Provides support in the transmission of values

Play is an essential learning mechanism for all young children and playing with them offers parents the possibility of teaching a series of values ​​and norms of behavior in the game like respect, fair play and without cheating, knowing how to lose and also knowing how to win.

Children are not particularly gifted at memorizing textual information, and it is better for them internalize cultural elements through stories, symbols, and experiences linked to the game in general. Besides, have their parents as role models, and at very early ages they tend to imitate their behavior, that is why the game is of great importance to teach all kinds of knowledge in a context of drills and questions such as "what would happen Yes…?".

• Related article: "Education in values: what does it consist of?"

3. It is a means of learning about the environment

In addition to learning behavior patterns and essential values, the game also helps children to learn about the world around them, and that happens from the moment they are born.

Scientific research in the fields of psychology and medicine have shown all the benefits that gambling has for the cognitive and emotional development of the child, and more and more discoveries are being made about the importance of play in children little ones.

In this way, the presence of the father or mother in the play sessions of the little can help you discover properties about the world, such as certain basic laws of physics, light shows, the behavior of animals, and other experiences that perhaps by themselves they would not have explored because they do not even consider those stuff.

In addition to that, the game also stimulates creativity and imagination, thanks to the stories that are created narrating the adventures of the different toys that they have at their disposal and also gross and fine motor skills (by manipulating objects in the imagination in games such as puzzles, construction games, etc.).

• You may be interested: "The 13 types of learning: what are they?"

4. Helps to understand the child's way of thinking

In addition to teaching our children valuable knowledge, the game also allows us to learn a lot about them, to get to know them more deeply seeing the metaphors and the type of magical/superstitious thinking through which they interpret what happens. And that helps to understand in greater detail what their inner world is like and how they conceive their environment.

This phenomenon is also of great importance to establish a positive social and affective bond between parents and children. children, because if we understand each other better we can get along better with our children and we will have more satisfactory.

• Related article: "Empathy, much more than putting yourself in the place of the other"

5. Helps you discover your interests and hobbies

Another of the essential functions of the game is that it allows both the parents and the boy or girl to share their interests, hobbies, skills, aptitudes and virtues of all kinds, something that will have a very noticeable and positive influence on the creation of your adult personality.

On the other hand, the game also allows us to detect any limitations or deficits that our child may have, of whatever kind, and work together to improve them.

6. Offers social skills training

As indicated, the game clearly promotes the development of the child's social skills, offering you the opportunity to interact socially with more people and to test your knowledge of everything related to interpersonal relationships.

By collaborating to create interesting stories and narrative plots, respecting certain rules of the game, our children learn to have fun having taking into account the people around them and learning concepts such as respect, empathy, assertiveness, patience and active listening.

• Related article: "The 6 types of social skills, and what they are for"

7. Improves self-esteem

Show that we take into account the opinion of our children when playing as a family, and include them in our plans so that they feel like one of the family nucleus contributes significantly to improving their levels from esteem.

Both the well-being generated by healthy family play, as well as healthy competition and fun collective, are some of the elements that increase the self-esteem of the boy or girl and will help him in the future to trust your chances.

8. Provides training in emotional control

In addition to serving to learn a series of cognitive and intellectual as well as affective dynamics and strategies, the game with parents also serves to work on the child's emotional control.

aspects like emotional regulation, the patterned and orderly expression of emotions and the sanction of tantrums, are essential elements that are learned by playing as a family.

9. Promotes family emotional well-being

As we have mentioned, there are a wide variety of elements that contribute to the emotional, cognitive and affective well-being of all the participants in the game, both parents and children.

In addition to that, scientific research has found that during a period of happiness and relaxation such as gaming, the human body releases a series of endorphins and hormones such as dopamine, related to learning processes and the development of goals linked to motivating experiences.

10. Promotes other healthy habits

A child who grows up playing frequently with his parents You will be more likely to integrate other healthy habits into your daily life, such as sports activities of all kinds or healthy social interaction with other people.

Education from childhood in healthy activities such as games or sports, to the detriment of the indiscriminate use of technological devices of all kinds, are a very important asset in the life of the child, in its correct development and in its future personality.

• You may be interested: "10 psychologically healthy daily habits, and how to apply them to your life"

Are you looking for professional psychological support?

If you want to have psychotherapy services for people of any age, get in touch with us.

In psychotools We can assist you in person or online via video call.