Play is a well-known necessity for children of all ages, and it’s beneficial to choose a childcare center that prioritizes the role of play in your child’s development. Heaven’s Elect is particularly passionate about offering opportunities for your child to engage in play and hands-on activities throughout their day to encourage social interaction, self-expression, and creativity!
Problem-Solving Skills
Believe it or not, play is just as educational as it is fun for kids! Free play allows children to learn how to think critically, make decisions, and understand concepts like cause and effect. As your child gets older, these skills strengthen over time, especially with more structured play and activities like completing puzzles or playing number games.
Social Interactions
Play is one of the key ways that children begin to interact with each other and is a crucial way to begin developing social skills! Playing and interacting with other children helps build language and vocabulary skills, and encourages soft skills like sharing, overcoming conflicts or disagreements, and forming important bonds and friendships.
Physical Health
Children often have a lot of built up energy. Engaging in play, especially outdoors with free reign to move around, helps to release some of this energy, leading to better stress management and less outbursts or restlessness later in the day. Additionally, as your child gets older and engages in more structured forms of play, like sports or dance, they begin to learn healthy exercise habits that can carry on into adulthood!
Senses & Creativity
Activities like playing in the sandbox, drawing, or making shapes with playdough are all excellent ways that children can engage with their senses and enhance their creativity. Sensory play leads to enhanced cognitive skills, like being able to identify different colors, shapes, and textures. While building these fine motor skills your child will also be able to expand their imagination and memory capacity!
While every child engages in play differently, it remains a crucial part of their development over time! Making time and space in your child’s day, both at home and in childcare or school, for activities that bring your child joy and help them release their energy can be massively beneficial as they learn, grow, and thrive.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.