Let’s play

Posted on 8 September 2014

Children who play up could be lacking in quality playtime. Could your child have a play-deficit disorder?

Words Rose Cohen

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Although that’s not strictly true when it comes to children because play is their ‘work’, says Helen Macdonald, a Johannesburg-based educational psychologist in private practice. ‘Playtime is special,’ she says. ‘Not only is it fun but it’s also critical to a child’s development. It’s their way of learning about the world around them.’

And that’s not just the psychologist’s view. Dr Adré van Schalkwyk, a paediatrician at Mediclinic Milnerton, echoes that sentiment. She says play is essential to the cognitive, social, emotional and physical development, and wellbeing of babies, children and youths of all ages. But are our children getting enough time to play, and are they playing the right games? Hannelie Kotze, an educational psychologist based at Mediclinic Milnerton, paints quite a bleak picture.

The problem
The reality is the world has changed. Millennial children are growing up with limited access to the outdoors and have decreased living space. It’s no longer safe for children to play in the streets and both parents in a household usually need to work. Providing the space and encouragement for the play children need is more often falling to crèches and daycare centres. This is all good and well, but many nursery schools include passive, digital entertainment, such as television and movies, as part of their daily schedule.

‘What’s more,’ says Hannelie, ‘I see little children out and about, staring at a tablet or iPad instead of engaging with the world around them. As useful and fun as these devices are, they don’t develop the gross and fine motor skills children need to perform at school. Children need to be able to hold a pen and a pair of scissors, not tap a touch screen.’

The solution

The good news is that the play deficit we’re seeing in modern children is easy to address. ‘Children need push toys and bikes. They need to play on the swings and monkey bars in the park. They need to march, skip, jump and balance on things,’ says Hannelie. ‘They also need to do a lot of table-top activities like arts and crafts to aid school readiness.’

All this is doable, but it does take time and commitment from parents. How about starting small before building up your child’s playtime and one-on-one quality time with each parent?
It may seem overwhelming to the busy, tired mom or dad, so take five minutes for yourself to relax first, suggests Hannelie. ‘Remember, a child who receives parental attention routinely is less likely to act up in an attempt to secure it,’ she says. ‘And a child who is well exercised will be ready for bed, sleep well and cope better at school. All this makes for a less stressful family life in the long run.’

Play through the ages
Although the importance of playing with your children can’t be emphasised enough, Helen cautions parents against being their children’s constant playmates. ‘They also need to play regularly with peers, siblings and themselves,’ she says. She recommends the following, age-appropriate ways to play.

Baby games
In the first few months, babies don’t need many toys over and above their caregiver’s face and voice. However, there are some simple toys that can help stimulate a newborn’s senses. Toys and books that have images with sharp contrasts, like black and white, are easier for babies to see and help stimulate vision. Rattles and toys with different textures will help develop a sense of hearing and touch. Babies also love mirrors and will be drawn to their reflection. Sing to your baby, swing your baby and name body parts. Reading rhyming books to infants will help with pattern recognition, while picture books will help encourage object recognition. It’s also recommended you narrate everyday actions to boost your baby’s language development.

The early years
Get outside and let your child guide the play. Children who play outdoors develop an appreciation for the environment.

Unfortunately, children are increasingly participating in adult-structured activities (play dates, after-school sports, lessons) leaving little time for child-initiated activities. As a result, the development of skills related to creative play, such as cooperation, imagination, creativity and ownership, decrease as responsibility for play is transferred to responsible adults. Our children learn the rules of our collective spaces, develop their own sense of community and negotiate their emerging identities through play.

There are four simple, key ingredients to successful preschool playtime: education, inspiration, integration and communication.
Let your child’s imagination run wild.

Scholarly play
The transition from pre-primary to Grade 1 is marked by a sudden decrease in playtime. Limitations to play include a lack of neighbourhood children, parents or siblings who don’t play, and restrictions to inviting friends over. In a 2011 study by Exceptionality Education International, children reported enjoying active outdoor play, toys, construction and art activities, and video-game play with parents, siblings and friends – so it’s worth putting in the effort. It’s also important that children from the age of four to 12 years play games with rules, solve problems and interact with others to develop executive functioning. This is a set of mental processes that helps connect past experience with present action and can aid in activities like planning, organising, strategising, remembering details and managing time and space.

Take it inside
Cooler weather can be a trying time to foster play. Resist the urge to turn on the television with these indoor play ideas:

1. Pencil-and-paper games like battleships, noughts and crosses, and general knowledge are easy and fun.
2. Play ‘Freeze’. Choose some of your kids’ favourite tunes and turn up the volume.
3. Ask them to dance until the music stops. When it does, they must freeze on the spot.
4. Set up indoor hopscotch on any floor surface. Masking tape works perfectly to form the nine connecting squares.
5. Make a DIY balance beam. Use masking tape and get kids to hop along the line, or walk backwards on it.

Watch out!
Children communicate through play. Dr Van Schalkwyk advises you pay attention to the following alarm bells:

• If your child persistently behaves differently from peers of the same age, it could be a sign of a problem.
• Children who appear to be in their own world as well as children who are withdrawn or aggressive should be closely observed, as these behaviours could be signs of an underlying difficulty.
• Any form of inappropriate sexual play could be a sign of child abuse.

The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.