Remember that old proverb: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy? Well, its roots go back to one’s childhood. One of the best building blocks for babies is Structured Play. This is a fun way of getting toddlers and pre-schoolers to learn stuff with the help of games and sport and zany interactions but there’s always a method to the madness.
Structured Play helps in building developmental, social and motor skills in tots and helps them interact better with others their age.
Advantages of Structured Play:
Mobile babies. Not just mobile phones.
With babies taking to mobile devices like ducks to water, it is extremely important to get them outside the home regularly. They need to get introduced to structured movement and physical activity at an early age. Researchers released a study last year suggesting pre-schoolers were not getting enough physical activity.
Activities that require kids to move their arms and legs to exercise their muscles is one of the most popular pastimes in Play Schools. This kind of activity helps kids in many areas, including cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal development and even success at school.
The focus is on movement. Not on competition.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers are like genies in bottles – they have more energy than parents know what to do with. Structured Play helps them unlock this energy to develop better coordination, a vital part of growing up. And teachers always focus on motion and emulation of other kids’ actions rather than competition. This makes the games and activities a group quest not an individual target.
An introduction to sports.
In these days of multi-million dollar IPL deals, most parents hope their little ‘uns pick up the bat as often as they pick up books. But toddlers may not be ready to play ball just yet. Most toddlers have short attention spans and get distracted easily. Structured Play (especially in play schools) gently pushes kids towards team sports and helps them learn the importance of team building. Kids also learn to follow rules and get to understand the basics of whichever game is being played.
Simon Says: Listen to your parents!
Most Indian moms will probably agree that Indian kids are a handful and have to be told the same thing repeatedly before they finally listen. Let’s face it, Indian kids are usually pampered by their loved ones hence hard to discipline. Structured Play – especially games like Simon Says that involves commands and responding to them – teaches kids the importance of following instructions. Kids get a sense of discipline because the game ensures that they need to listen closely and obey requests to truly enjoy the game. Let’s just say that Simon says: Better behaved kids are a fantastic bonus!
Bye, bye tantrums!
Like in adults, exercise helps endorphins flow in toddlers as well. Giving their little bodies a feel-good boost. Structured Play gets toddlers moving, smiling, laughing and throwing the ball instead of tantrums.
A sense of achievement!
For kids performing in recitals, being part of skits or doing a group dance, the process of practising for an event and then finally staging it for others to see increases self-esteem and lends a sense of achievement. It also gives your budding genius something to showcase for his extended family.
It’s a small world after all!
It’s vital that toddlers are exposed to playing with children that come from different backgrounds – culturally and otherwise. This way they learn to respect all communities equally and without any prejudice. This will also go a long way in ensuring that your baby grows into a social and moral adult.
If you liked this blog, don’t forget to check out our blog on Free Play as well.
One more thing before we go: we’d love to hear from you, #Smartmums. What is your favourite activity to do with your toddler?
