2 minute read
Learn to play
Next Article
HELPING KIDS LEARN TO PLAY
Play is an important part of a child’s development; but it doesn’t come easily to everyone.
Tarneit mother of three, Liane, says her children, Kye, 9, and 6-year-old twins Lyla and Ayva, all struggle with anxiety and social situations. But small-group therapy, customised to her children’s NDIS plans, has helped them each begin developing the skills to better manage these challenges.
‘I often find that it takes quite a while to see the true benefits of programs and therapy. You don’t realise how beneficial they are until something happens and your children handle the situation beautifully,’ Liane says.
‘Some of the things we notice is how they’ll handle a social situation afterwards. They adopt things they’ve learnt and put it into practice. Things as simple as turn taking.’
Children might not realise it, but while they play in many and varied ways, they are in fact learning and developing the whole time.
Physical skills
As children play, they use their whole body to hone their muscle control and strength, coordination and balance. Think dancing, skipping, jumping, running down a hill, climbing play equipment or joining in organised sports. Children also develop their use of hands with small muscle movements through things like threading, pouring, measuring, cutting and pasting, making activities like cooking and crafting ideal.
Thinking skills
Play builds cognitive or thinking skills. It helps them develop knowledge, remember, plan and pay attention; all important skills for the classroom and beyond. They use mental processes of judgement, reasoning and decision-making. For example, construction games use problem solving and use mathematical skills of counting and classifying, while drama involves imagination and telling stories in a logical order.
Social skills
Play helps children learn how to interact with others, which is turn helps them make and maintain friendships. Through play, children develop their communication, social and emotional skills, including the ability to share ideas, express feelings and regulate emotions. They also need to negotiate group dynamics including compromise, recognising and responding to others’ feelings, sharing and resolving conflicts.
Helping your child
Play is a complex ability that does not always come easily. You can help your child by sharing activities that address their challenges in a gentle and fun way. Karen Stagnitti has some great resources as does The Genius of Play. In a therapy setting, children play while practicing their skills in a controlled environment designed to help them develop at their own pace. Look for a quality accredited, NDIS registered provider with experience in developmental delay.
Liane says small group therapy works for her three children because it involves therapists working on social behaviour in line with each child’s goals.
‘And the fact they are learning while having fun is just perfect,’ she says.
By Delia Backstrom-Symons. Delia is an occupational therapist with Gateways Support Services, a quality accredited, NDIS registered provider of early and school aged therapy programs.
www.gateways.com.au
New NIDA Online courses for ages 3–18!
