The Power of Play
Being that the world is rightfully staying home in an effort to slow the spread of the pandemic, we realize that you may be running out of options for ways to entertain your child's growing needs for play. Our dear friends at Piper and James Co have created the most incredible sensory boxes that will have your Babba playing and learning for hours!
To some, play may seem like a relatively unimportant part of childhood, however, the role of play in terms of child development is actually more critical than people may realize. An article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests that developmentally appropriate play with parents and peers helps to promote social-emotional, cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills that build executive function and other brain functions in children. They also suggest the importance of play in academic readiness for pre-school and beyond (Yogman et al., 2018). Since everyone is staying home and limiting interactions with peers, it is even more important to make sure that your child is engaging in tons of play.
The AAP lists many different types of play. For example, social play, outdoor play, and pretend play. Today we are focusing on sensory play, or "object play", although multiple forms of play can overlap at a given time. Object play occurs when a child touches and feels an object to learn about its qualities. This is incredibly important in helping children understand the world around them. Children may engage in this type of play by holding objects in their hands, putting them in their mouths, banging them on the floor, etc. They also may try using an object for pretend play, such as by making a banana into a telephone. All of these actions can be beneficial for communication, language, and abstract thought (Yogman et al., 2018).
Another study found that the experience of play directly and indirectly influences the development of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which impacts self-control, decision making, problem solving, and reflexive behavior just to name a few (Pellis, Pellis, Bell, 2010).
Here are some of the main benefits of sensory play:
Promotes brain development, specifically the prefrontal cortex
Stimulates Speech and Language skills
Helps children discover different textures and temperatures and understand how they feel (rough, soft, hard, squishy, cold)
Facilitates pretend play
Develops motor skills (pouring beans into a cup)
Keep your Babbas playing and keep them learning! Check out these incredibly beautiful sensory boxes made by our friends at Piper and James Co!
*Make sure to keep an eye on your little one while he/she is playing in order to ensure the safety of free play. Take any opportunity to engage in the play with your Babba in order to foster a interpersonal and communication skills.
