The power of play: why is it necessary for children?

Recently, an article in the popular magazine "Muy Interesante" spoke of the secret of toys and highlighted the importance of play in the maturation process of the individual.

This week, from the Mensalus Institute of Psychological and Psychiatric Assistance, we spoke 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?

Playful activities strengthen two areas of the gray mass (matter that is part of the Central Nervous System): the cerebellum, which coordinates the 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 the calculation of probabilities through trial and error (“ if I want the truck to reach the table, I must push more strong").

The power of the game is incalculable. Playing is learning through starting the 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 his intelligence.

Children change the way they play over the years ...

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

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

What characterizes exercise games?

The exercise games typical 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 both with objects (biting, sucking, throwing, shaking) or without them (crawling, swaying, crawling). In this stage the child develops the coordination of movements and displacements, the static and dynamic balance, as well as the understanding of the world that surrounds him among others.

The toy industry offers a multitude of options that ensure the implementation of the skills described. As in the rest of the stages, the toys function as “useful materials” for the child's psycho-sensory-motor development.

What toys promote development from 2 to 6 years of age?

In this second stage in which the symbolic game predominates (that which consists of simulating situations, objects and characters) toys are interesting that promote the child's imagination and motivate him to to create. For this reason, it is often better to build a stage than to have it done from the start.

The symbolic game facilitates the understanding of the environment, puts into practice knowledge about the roles established in adult life and favors the development of language among others. In short, in this type of game children reproduce the knowledge of the reality that surrounds 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 plot / theme of the game shows that the child increasingly understands vital aspects.

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

Rules are socializing elements that teach children to win and lose, to respect turns and rules, to consider the actions and opinions of other classmates, etc. The rules are fundamental for the learning of different types of knowledge and favor the development of language, memory, reasoning and attention.

To better illustrate the learning of the rules, Piaget took as an example the game of marbles: If you give some marbles to 2-year-old children, the activity they carry out is individual: they suck, throw, push, 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 game points 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 bases.

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 more committed task. Playing contributes, as we have seen, to the integral growth of the infant, and participating in it makes us a key element for this maturation process.

Our figure within the game feeds all the aforementioned capacities. For example, in the case of symbolic play, it offers a source of information with which the little one will have to deal with 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 also need to play?

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 abilities: love, work, play and think. Specifically, this psychiatrist enhances 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 reflect on what would happen if it were.

However. We can integrate playful activity naturally into our day to day so that it counteracts the tension / fatigue generated by obligation, thus offering a place for creative capacity. Therefore, introducing the game as a complementary element (either when playing sports, in a team dynamic, in the practice of a hobby, etc.) regardless of the existence of a time of play with the children, it is a smart choice emotionally.

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 from spontaneity, the liberation of thought and joy. Therefore, today we do not want to dismiss this article without sending one last message: the game is part of our way of exploring and understanding the world...

Playing is not just for children.

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