05/08/2020
Play is so incredibly important for child development and learning. Every child's brain development work is done through play.
When children lead in play, they gain the most developmentally.
Play is the way children learn about themselves, the people around them, the world they live in, and how things work in their world. Play is the way children naturally explore, and the way they gain and practice skills they will use for their whole lives
Child-led play is where the child takes the lead and the adult follows their cues. When play is child-led the developmental benefits are huge.
Babies and children who are allowed uninterrupted play-time are less likely to learn what ‘boredom’ is - they develop creativity, imagination and a concentration span that they take with them to adulthood.
When children have the freedom to rule how play occurs their interest will be more sustained. Play enables children to be creative and learn through discovery.
Child-led play is rather easy to describe and simply relies on the child to make the majority of decisions when engaging in play. Simply put, the child will choose the activity, toy or location for which to engage in play. It is all about giving the child choices instead of leading them in activities
Providing an inviting play space and letting a child choose what they are interested in and how they want to play with a particular object or environment is hugely rewarding for the child.
How do you encourage and foster child-led play?
