Play Is Serious Business For Childrens' Intelligence
Too many parents consider play as simply a means of
diverting and distracting their children. Playthings are
often seen as a means of keeping children happy, rewarding
them, keeping them out of mischief, and giving parents free
time.
Not often enough do parents think of play and toys as
fundamental aspects of a child's education, as a means
through which children learn to understand the world around
them, and as the primary method by which children acquire
many basic skills.
Parents can help make their children's play stimulating by
doing three things.
First, they can adopt an attitude of
conscious, deliberate planning in which play is regarded as
one of the most important aspects of their children's
environment.
Second, they can see to it that their children
are provided with the kinds of toys and playthings that will
help develop the widest possible varieties of skills and
abilities.
Third, they can assume a direct, participating
role in their children's play.
Planning a child's play does not mean planning each activity
for every moment of the child's playtime. On the contrary,
children should have maximum independence in choosing their
own activities. And, within the limits of the daily routine
of the home, a child should also choose the time for their
activities, as well as the duration of each. Good
planning makes sure that play is as varied and stimulating
as possible.
A child should play at different times, with friends, with
parents, and by theirself. This play should include, within a
period of about a month, all or most of the following types
of activities, each geared to the age level of the child.
Here are 5 of them:
#1. Games
Games are perhaps the most basic of all forms of play. From
peek-a-boo to chess, from pat-a-cake to baseball, games
occupy a central role in the lives of most children from
infancy to adolescence. Games may be physical or mental. In
general they involve the development of skills, although
some lead to the acquisition of information.
#2. Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts give children many opportunities to express
their desire to make things. Crayons, paints, clay,
construction paper, scissors and paste, wood, leather,
Rerouting Working Nerves To Restore Hand Function
A paralyzed man with a spinal cord injury to the C7 vertebrae is able to move his fingers again. Surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine rerouted working nerves in the patient's upper arms to restore some hand function. Dr. Ida Fox discusses the procedure described in the <em>Journal of Neurosurgery</em>.
Modern Treatments Of Tooth Decay
"Tooth decay, also known as dental cavities, or dental caries, is a disease that is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever." -- Michael C. Alfano, Dean of the New York University College of Dentistry. As...
felt,
and cardboard are among the materials that help children
develop their creative imaginative, and aesthetic abilities.
Arts and crafts also develop skills in manipulation,
perception, and analysis.
#3. Construction Play
Construction play involves assembling objects from what are
usually prefabricated parts. It is less creative than arts
and crafts, but is also useful in developing many skills.
Putting together a set of railroad tracks and trains is a
form of construction play, as is play with erector sets,
Tinker toys, blocks and the like.
#4. Projective Play
Protective play is play in which a child adds dramatic and
emotional meaning to activities with representative
toys¡ªdolls, trucks, soldiers, homemaking sets, and doctor
kits. Its great value lies in the role playing done by the
child rather than in the development of specific skills.
#5. Hobbies
Hobbies which cannot be otherwise classified will generally
fall under the heading of collecting activities. Collecting
stamps, coins, rocks and minerals, butterflies and insects,
sea shells, and leaves are all common and popular hobbies.
While some help in the development of certain skills, their
greatest value is in the considerable knowledge a child can
acquire in pursuing them.
Most play can be classified in one of these five groups,
and, ideally, play should include all of these types. Also,
as skills develop, the activities should move to a higher,
more mature level.
However, a child does not automatically vary his play or
develop in it. This is where the parent's planning comes
in ¡ª- continually making the child aware of the broad
opportunities available to him in play; initiating certain
activities during playtime; making suggestions when the
child needs and wants them; buying toys that will, in
themselves, lead to new pursuits; stimulating new interests
and ideas in any of a variety of ways. The parent should not
manage the child's play, but should try to nudge it in the
right directions.
About the Author
FREE valuable information on Gifted Children and raising IQ
scores can be found here at All for Gifted Children. Visit
it today! http://www.AllForGiftedChildren.com
|