The Importance of Play Between Parents and Children

Play 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 adults; These types of activities are necessary and arise from them practically innately (if the right circumstances exist to be able to lead a normal life).

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

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

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

To remember the great benefit of playing between parents and children, below we present a list of benefits of this type of family practice.

1. Enhances 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 play is one of those essential activities to develop and strengthen it.

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

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

2. Provides support in the transmission of values

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

Children are not especially gifted at memorizing textual information, and it is better for them to internalize cultural elements through stories, symbols, and experiences linked to play in general. Besides, They have their parents as a role model and at very early ages they tend to imitate their behavior, which is why the game is of great importance for teaching all types of knowledge in a context of simulations and questions such as “what would happen if…?”

3. It is a means of learning about the environment

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

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

In this way, the presence of the father or mother in the little one’s play sessions can help you discover properties about the world such as certain basic laws of physics, games of light, the behavior of animals, and other experiences that perhaps they would not have explored on their own because those things are not even considered.

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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 at their disposal and also gross and fine motor skills (by manipulating objects in the imagination in games such as puzzles, construction games, etc.).

4. Helps understand the child’s way of thinking

In addition to teaching very valuable knowledge to our children, the game also allows us to learn a lot about them, getting 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 for establishing a positive social and emotional bond between parents and children, since if we understand each other better we will be able to get along better with our children and we will have more satisfactory relationships.

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 child themselves to share their interests, hobbies, abilities, aptitudes and virtues of all kinds, something that will influence in a very notable and positive way 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, whatever the type, and work together to improve them.

6. Offer 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 game rules, our children learn to have fun taking into account the people around them and learning concepts such as respect, empathy, assertiveness, patience and active listening. .

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7. Improves self-esteem

Showing that we take into account our children’s opinions when playing as a family, and including them in our plans so that they feel like one of the family members contributes significantly to improving their levels of self-esteem.

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

8. Provides training in emotional control

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

Aspects like emotional regulation, the scheduled and orderly expression of emotions and the punishment 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 participants in the game, both parents and children.

In addition to that, scientific research has discovered 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. Promote other healthy habits

A child who grows up playing frequently with his parents You will be more inclined to integrate other healthy habits into your daily life such as carrying out 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 their correct development and in their future personality.