Written by Dr Karen McInnes BSc, PGCE, MA, MSc, PhD, FHEA*

Play is such a simple activity and is often taken for granted as, after all, all children do it! There are many reasons why children play, one of which is the beneficial impact of play. During these strange and surreal times, it can be quite confusing for children and the importance of play for children’s mental health and wellbeing cannot be overstated. This blog sets out how play benefits children in this way and how we, as parents, can support our children’s play. 

What do I mean by play? More precisely I am referring to free play, generally considered to be the most beneficial form of play for children’s development and learning. This is play which is under the child’s control, which is directed by them and does not have a predetermined outcome. It is play for play’s sake whereby the process of playing is far more important than any end product. 

This importance of this type of play for children’s mental health and wellbeing can be summarised as follows: 

• Physical - Being physical during free play enables children to expend energy and keep fit which makes them feel strong and good about themselves. They can take physical risks, within safe boundaries, which, when successful, makes them feel confident about their abilities and raises their self-esteem. When they need to try again to be successful, they learn resilience which acts as armour plating to combat stress. 

• Emotional - In imaginative free play children experience emotions and learn to cope with them. They will experience negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety (of course all around us at the moment) and they learn to cope with them and be empathetic towards others experiencing those emotions. They experience anger and how to control themselves and they experience wonder and joy in acts of kindness.

• Social - Free play can be a sociable endeavour or something they experience on their own, both of which are valuable. During these times of lockdown children are being sociable with siblings and parents; important family time. Playing with family members strengthens family bonds and provides a place and feeling of safety for children now and as they grown older. Being allowed to have time alone is also important for learning about one’s self and what one can do. 

• Communication & problem solving - Being sociable requires communication to forge strong relationships with others which leads to happiness and a supportive network. Being able to talk about emotions enables a child to gain mastery over these emotions and to also ask for help when required. Communication is also a part of solving problems and in free self-directed play children must solve their own problems which develops confidence and self-esteem.  

As we can see, free, self-directed play benefits children’s mental health and wellbeing in many ways and as parents we can support this type of play by providing play things, play space, play time and through being play partners. 

•  Play things – children do not need expensive, brightly coloured toys, often with fixed outcomes. Instead use open ended resources to create invitations to play for your children. By providing a range of natural materials - lengths of fabrics, cardboard boxes or cooking utensils from the cupboard - children can take their play in whatever direction they choose. For very young children ‘Treasure Baskets’ containing a range of natural but safe items such as a wooden spoon, a lemon, a fabric bag etc. allows children to explore and is exciting, providing a wealth of developmental opportunities. 

• Play space – play does not have to be confined to the playroom but can occur anywhere, within safe boundaries. I remember my daughter happily playing on the kitchen floor with the pots, pans and wooden spoons from the cupboard or using material draped over a few chairs to create a den for her and her sister to play in. In addition, having a small space that children can call their own is important for a sense of ownership and empowerment over play. 

• Play time – as well as occurring anywhere, play can occur at any time. Children like time to play by themselves but making time to play with our children is critical. Children can play in small chunks of time or in a longer block of time; you will be surprised how long your child can stay immersed in their play when they are in control and directing the action.  Allowing children to be able to return to their play is invaluable. 

• Play partners – we can and should be play partners with our children. To be a true partner in a child’s play we need to listen and follow their lead. We need to explore with them and ask who and how they want us to be in their play. We must not direct or take over their play but leave it to them to be in charge. Of course it helps to find the child in ourselves and for us to be playful. Being a child’s play partner benefits their mental health and wellbeing, but also helps ourselves and our families. 

*A note from Karen about her background (and how we were lucky enough to meet her!) 
I have spent my professional career working with children as a speech therapist, early years teacher and play therapist. As a university lecturer I have taught students wishing to study for a career working with children. As a researcher I worked for Barnardo’s Policy and Research team and then focused my research on play and playfulness, an exciting and fruitful area of research. A flavour of my research can be found by following the link below. https://www.communityplaythings.co.uk/learning-library/articles/play-through-the-eyes-of-the-child 
I first met Claire and Becks when I joined Norland College as research fellow and enjoyed a close working relationship with them until they left and set up Bespoke Family. I have continued to keep in touch and work with them whenever the opportunity arises. 

If you are interested in finding out more about the benefits of play along with some handy hints and tips check out ‘Your guide to play’! For more information - click here

Don’t forget that we offer parent consultations should you need support with anything from sleep to behaviour and so much more! Details of the packages we offer can be found here.

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