The importance of play for child development

Kids love to play.

We love to watch them play.

Sometimes we like to join in their play.

Do we understand just how important play is for kids?

• Characterised by engagement and engagement, with high levels of involvement, engrossment and intrinsic motivation
• Imaginative, creative, and non-literal
• Voluntary or freely chosen, personally directed (often child-initiated) and free from externally imposed rules
• Fluid and active but also guided by mental rules and high levels of meta-cognition and meta-communication (communication about communication), which give it structure
• Process-driven rather than product-driven, with no extrinsic goals