Play is one of the most important aspects of a child’s life and is essential for the healthy development of the child on so many levels, however in recent years time for ‘free play’ has been markedly reduced. With ever-increasing attention on academics, hurried lifestyles and the allure of technology, sometimes time to just ‘play’ seems to take a back seat. Yet do we fully understand the benefits that play brings to our children’s lives? To their health and well being? It really isn’t just frivolous fun!
Play is integral to a happy and healthy child, and yes it’s fun but it’s so much more besides; play begins to teach today’s children how to be well-rounded adults in the future. It is where our children begin to learn a host of essential life skills. Through play our children develop their imagination and creativity, be adventurous and explore the world around them, build strong healthy bodies, develop their gross motor skills and dexterity, they can role-play the position of others, learn to share, negotiate and resolve conflict. They learn to listen and have empathy, learn to lead and be confident; all skills which we hope to have in our adult lives.
Not only is play essential for learning life skills, it also has a vital role in reducing the risk of mental ill-health in our children, something which sadly seems to be hitting the headlines more and more in recent years. It is well researched and documented that the decline in children’s opportunities for free play over the past half-century is explicitly linked to the increase in mental health problems in our youth. Free play gives children time to process and ‘work off’ their stresses and anxieties, it gives them an opportunity to decompress and process their emotions, giving them time to understand their feelings and become resilient.
I recently discussed the importance of play with several local professionals who have a wealth of knowledge and experience working with children from different backgrounds. Their beliefs on the importance of play is so beautifully expressed and documented below:
“Through play, we try out new ideas without time limits nor expectation. We are free to get things wrong and try again. We learn motor skills, exercise our bodies and experiment with social interactions. Emotions find a playground – we can scream, roar or tenderly care for a toy or another person. One may notice that children often play doctors and other particular professions; sampling roles that they have heard hold weight in society and giving themselves space to express both their desire to fix, heal and help as well as their (probably subconscious) fears. In-play we can face our fiercest enemies or create our wildest dreams. Everything is possible. Never stop playing! I speak to myself as I write this too. As adults, we can fall into our set ways of doing things and forget to imagine, embody and create with no end goal. It’s important to understand that through play, with its physicality and its rhythm, its tenderness and its wildness… we regulate our nervous system, act out procedural memories, express the care that we need and let our bodies speak their language without restraint. Let your children play freely. Let yourself play, even if it feels awkward at first. Let yourself imagine a new way of being and play it out. Play, I believe, can naturally transport one to the liminal space. The living room floor is no longer the living room floor, the restrictions of the material world no longer so heavily felt. Dare to speak your dreams and embody them as if they are happening through play. Dare to name your fears and face them creatively through play. Invite yourself, with curiosity, to reimagine your world by playing within, and without, it.”
Charlotte Browning – Drama Therapist
Charlotte explains the beauty and importance of play so descriptively, it embodies the importance of play not only for our children but also for ourselves; playing together provides us as caregivers the opportunity to connect and engage with our children on a level that is free from adult burdens, even if it’s only for a short time.
“Play is a state of mind, not just an act. It is fundamentally important from a developmental perspective. Careful observation of a child’s play allows caregivers to respond to the child’s needs.”
Dr Diane Levine – University of Leicester
As parents and guardians, we are given a unique opportunity to see the world through our children’s eyes, to watch them create a world that perfectly suits their needs and tells us more about how they are than most could express in words.
That is why at The Pyjama Party Company we strongly believe play should not only be encouraged, it should be protected. We provide so much more than just a party or sleepover experience; we provide immersive play experiences that your children can become completely involved in and that fully compliment your chosen theme. Your children can be intrepid explorers while enjoying our Welcome To The Jungle or Savannah Safari theme, a fearless Knight or grand noble King with our Knights And Noblemen theme, the prima ballerina in their own production of Swan Lake with our Tutu And Sparkle theme or a brave and courageous soldier with our Camp Camouflage theme… the possibilities are endless and for a limited time only we are including FREE play packs for all bookings!
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