What are the benefits of playing for your little ones?!
Having a little one at home is enough to put him in a state of constant motion in line with the developments he goes through. During their first years, babies want to explore the world around them, and the best way to do this is by playing. In this article we present the benefits of playing for your little ones, the impact of playing on the development of children, and the suitable toys for them.
The benefits of playing for your little ones:
Babies start playing since they’re born, it is the way through which they learn and develop their abilities. Here are some skills that can be developed through playing:
– Development of senses. Your baby uses his five senses to explore what’s around him, and although they will not be completely developed as they are born, playing helps in developing these senses and connects them to the different areas in their brain, making the development of nerve cells faster and more efficient.
– The development of physical skills, most importantly, neuromuscular coordination, i.e. the baby’s ability to control his muscles, especially the peripheral muscles. Educational experts point that children in the early grades face a problem in their ability to hold a pen and control writing. This is due to weakness of their small muscles that can be overcome easily with playing.
– Development of social skills through participating in playing and creating games which can improve the baby’s ability to communicate, participate, cooperate and develop other social skills.
– Development of self-confidence. Completing age-appropriate tasks would boost your baby’s self-confidence and make him successful in the future.
– Development of problem-solving and decision-making skills.
What games are suitable for my little one?
Playing with babies doesn’t have to be materially costly. The most exciting and enjoyable games for kids are the simple ones which hardly cost anything at all. Here are some of the most enjoyable games for the little ones:
– Babies up to one-year-old:
As mentioned before, babies at this stage try to explore things around them using their five senses. Help your baby develop these senses. Bring him toys with cheerful colors and slowly pass them before him to make him follow these toys with his eyes. Repeat this often, babies don’t get bored of repetition. Make some sounds, sing him a song and read him stories. Pass some aromatic natural materials by his nose, such as citrus peel, cinnamon sticks, and mint leaves and watch his facial expressions. When changing his clothes, caress his body with your fingers from his feet to the top of his body and use some soft materials to touch his body, such as a piece of cloth or paper.
When your baby starts moving, place him on a blanket on floor, and help him move from one side to another. Then lay him on his stomach till he can lift his head and arms, this will help strengthen his muscles. Put a mirror before him, he will enjoy looking at himself.
– The three games your little one likes the most from the age of one to five:
– Water, especially in summer. Fill a small tub with water, let him play, and watch him closely.
– Sand, the small grains of sands help babies strengthen their hand muscles and increase the nerves’ ability to deliver commands to the brain. They also help with the development of brain cells. In addition to that, sand grains help boost the body’s immunity.
– Safe kitchen tools, such as plastic utensils, which can replace ready-made toys.
– Don’t allow your child play video games for more than 20 minutes a day, including watching television, and after checking the game’s content and watching it to ensure the quality of its content and its lack of violence or indecency. A child’s addiction to video games may separate him from his peers, hinder his social development as well as prevent him from going out and touching materials around him, which in turn weakens his immune system. The lack of exposure to the sun may result in vitamin D deficiency, which causes poor mental abilities, such as memory and concentration, and weakness of the major and minor muscles of the body.
– Don’t deprive your kid from a little of your time, play with him, the benefits of playing with your little ones will make you appreciate the importance of playing and your kid will be successful in the future.