Doctor’s Orders: Kids Need to Play Parents know it. Teachers know it. And now pediatricians have weighed in with an official opinion about it. What’s the big consensus? Kids need regular doses of constructive play for healthy development, says the In a clinical report issued in October 2006 and published in the January 2007 issue of the journal Pediatrics, Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd makes the case on behalf of the country’s leading association for pediatricians. “Free and unstructured play is healthy—in fact, essential—for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient,” states the Academy in a press release. Paula Bolte, owner of Imaginations Toy and Furniture Company, a toy store in Many parents will agree that it’s hard to be a relaxed, bonded family with all the emphasis on achievement and the belief that lots of organized activities are important for their children. Paula pointed to some specific recommendations contained in the AAP report that she feels are especially useful for today’s parents. “The report discussed the type of toys kids really need,” says Paula. “What’s interesting is that the pediatricians approach toy selection exactly the same way we do. It’s not about what the toy can do, but rather what the child can do with the toy. The report encouraged parents to look for toys that encourage imaginative, rather than passive play—just like we do at Imaginations Toy and Furniture Company. Paula suggests that parents take note of these recommendations as well: · Building academic skills and other skills like competence in a sport or in music may be important goals, but they should be balanced with the equally important (if not more important) goals of promoting the healthy development of social and emotional skills. “It’s worth noting,” says Paula, “that many social and emotional skills—for example, self-confidence, self-regulation, resiliency, and stress management—are best learned through experience, which for kids generally means play.” · Kids don’t need to have a long list of wide ranging accomplishments to be successful or to complete in the adult world. The most important quality that will lead to their success will be a sense of personal security and confidence. · Claims made by some companies in marketing their products, suggesting that kids can become “super children” if they use the product, play on parents’ desires to be “good parents.” Parents should learn how to filter out advertising messages that promise things their children don’t really need. “There are plenty of people willing to escalate your worries that you’re being a bad parent if you don’t buy the latest thing for your child or if you don’t sign them up for more lessons or sports than your family can handle,” says Paula. “Just stay focused on what your child and your family really need and what you can afford—in terms of dollars, time, and the extra stress. The complete article about play which appeared in the |