Playtime or playing is a natural occupation of children that is an enjoyable way for children to keep active, stay well, and be happy. Free play results in helping children and young people with healthy development. To have good physical and mental health and to learn life skills, they need various unstructured play opportunities from birth until they are teenagers.
Some of the benefits of playtime include:
Improves children's overall physical fitness
Practice motor skills
Encourages task behavior and organization skills.
Improves self-confidence
Encourages socialization when physically active with friends
Reduces obesity
Improves mood
Helps with self-regulation
Encourages setting and achieving goals
BRAIN BOOSTER!!!!!!! The positive benefits of physical activity include cognitive skills (executive functioning, attention span, memory, and verbal comprehension), higher academic test scores, motor planning , and impulse control.
Ideas for playtime at home:
Do animal walks like crab walks, bear walks, penguin walks or elephant stomps
Play red light, green light to practice on stop and go with walking or running
Sing and dance to the Hokey Pokey
Sing and do actions to "If You’re happy and you know it"
Make paper plate "skates" and skate around the house
Make a balance beam line with tape on the floor
Create a hopscotch with tape or sidewalk chalk
Have a scavenger hunt indoors or outdoors
Have a dance party!!