|
Imaginative Play - A Vital Tool for Optimum Child Brain Development
By Andrew Loh
Young children and toddlers are born intelligent and they seem to learn by using various, practical techniques of imaginative play. Just watch your young child and you will come to know how they learn by playing their own games and play activities. Have you ever watched your young child picking up a small stone and mimicking as if it is a super bike? Did you ever watch your young daughter playing with her kitchen set to prepare meals for you? There are a number of hidden meanings with these simple yet significant actions! In fact, your child is using some objects to represent or denote something else, all the while using a number of actions and motions with those objects.
Pretend play is an important aspect of your child's normal development. However, imaginative play is not as simple as it looks, because it involves several areas of baby development, most of which are very much essential for normal growth. Available research suggests us that those babies that play with intelligent and innovative play sets and things always grow better in all aspects of life, including physical and mental faculties. Most preschool and kindergarten classrooms provide a number of different play sets and games for children to spend some productive time. Almost all schools will also have a well-equipped and well-furnished dramatic playroom to help young children develop their reflexes and intelligence. Children who learn mastering imaginative play will help develop a series of skills and later apply them in the life.
Imaginative play helps your child in a number of ways like:
When your child is playing in an imaginative way, he or she will be actually experimenting with a series of social and emotional roles and parameters of life. Imaginative play that relate to cooperation will help your child to know and understand why sharing responsibility is so important in life. It will also assist in solving problems in a creative manner. When your child exposes his or her mind to a series of character plays, it becomes possible to acquire the experience of ¡°imitating or mimicking others¡±; this special skill will also help in developing empathy for others that is an important moral skill.
All children have very pure thoughts in them and they always like to see their immediate surroundings in their own viewpoint and perspective. In fact, most of these views are highly egocentric in nature. However, with various imaginative play sessions, it is possible to induce good characters like emotional maturity and cooperation. One of the most important skills that your children can learn is to understand how others feel and react in response to their behavior. Self-esteem is another positive character that is the direct result of imaginative play. Life is a delicate mixture of reality and fantasy. It is very important for your children understand this difference and acquire those positive characters that help them realize the importance of knowing the harsh realities of life. When your child plays in an imaginative manner, he or she will be seeing a number of familiar characters.
In many cases, parents may hear their children uttering some words and phrases, while they are playing with their toys. Did you see that your children would be speaking in a manner that reflects your own behavioral pattern? Your children can easily be your own mirror image! Your children can mimic your action, reactions, as well as your behavior. One of the significant benefits of imaginative play is the acquisition of basic language skills. Spoken and written language should go hand in hand and imaginative play helps your child in acquiring both of these skills.
Imaginative play will help your children build a basic vocabulary of words that are always theme-specific and connected to most ordinary events of life. Imaginative play also helps your children develop thinking skills that eventually assists them to solve a number of problems. Cognitive thinking skills are very important part of your children's life. Imaginative play has an important role in developing characters that are specific enough in streamlining specific thought processes.
Imaginative play always helps your children to acquire self-regulation skills that are important in knowing how and when they can manage their feelings and emotions. Imaginative play helps your children develop frontal lobe part of the brain that regulates behavior. Abstract thinking is another skill that is very critical for your children's life success. Abstract thinking ability will help your child to use some objects as usable symbols for a series of real life events. Imaginative play is a wonderful tool that can help your children to master a series of skills required to lead a life of bliss, satisfaction, success and contentment. Continue to read Imaginative Play Ideas - What Do Your Children Learn When They Play.
|
Checkout these other child development articles
