The Language of Play – What Parents Discover Through Playtime
Have you ever sat back and simply observed your child in unstructured playtime?
High-stress levels that adults are feeling can have an impact on our children. Giving kids time each day to play without rules may provide valuable insight into their feelings.
Unstructured playtime creates child-led learning opportunities. As children play together and make-up rules about what is or isn’t fair, they learn about personal space, problem-solving and how to have fun.
The activities your child chooses to engage with could give you a sense of what’s on their mind or introduce a topic you’ve never asked them about. A child playing with blocks, building towers and knocking them down, may be expressing frustration about current world events. A child mashing together two stuffed animals may be experiencing internal conflict around a new sibling.
Given space to freely explore their toys and feelings, children are free to explore, which may open up a world that you can guide your child through.
