Children who play more do better in life

A recent report suggested that children who play regularly do well academically and have better social skills so gift your children more play time this Children’s day.
Kids who play more perform better in school
Less structured activities like playing hide and seek in the park to climbing trees and visiting the zoo can lead to better performance from academics point of view.Routine activities can dampen a child’s ability to think freely. Lecturer of English Mumtaz Khorakiwala says, “Playing or being outdoors probably lets the child be a child. Every kid needs that playtime where he can imagine freely. Sports helps kids to grasp concepts better. Moreover playing ensures fitness, team work, discipline and tuning the mind to think critically.”
Children who are more involved in less structured activities will do better in academics as they are capable of setting their own targets and are much more flexible when it comes to switching between activities and they are capable enough to take charge of their life and control their mood. Says nutritionist, Sheela Tanna, “Kids who play are more fit, happy, competitive and fall less sick. Ball games are great in improving the mind and body coordination in kids.”
To this psychologist, Varkha Chulani says, “Playing whether competitive sport or a hobby game is an important part in motor development skills and eye hand coordination. Besides intellectual development you will also find people that play a sport more disciplined, focused and they have a sense of drive.”
Free play and better self-directed executive function
Unscheduled and unsupervised play time is what parents can gift to their children for their independent up bringing. Clinical psychologist and author Seema Hingorrany says, “Playing is known to be very therapeutic. It has a positive impact on brain increasing the feel good hormones. Children learn to be gregarious and they are able to enhance their social skills by playing.”
Seema further adds, “Children who play are known to have better attention spans, as they learn to multi task things better. Their focus is much better as compared to kids who do not play.” These kids learn to do their own job much earlier in life like tying their own shoe laces, ironing their clothes, getting ready for school and even ironing their own clothes.
Better social skills
It is on the play ground that children strengthen social bonds and build emotional maturity. Seema says, “Playing involves interactions with your peer groups which enhances social development and skills.” Children who play with other kids and have a big circle of friends have better social skills. They are much more adaptable and they learn to make their own decisions and solve their own problems. They get along with their peers better as equals rather than as their subordinates. They learn to fight for themselves early in life.
Student Counselor, Archana Sardesai says, “Parents should grant their children some free time to just play some unstructured game, do some imaginary landscape painting, read a fairy tale rather than dictating them to do some carefully planned educational game.” Free play is nature’s way of teaching children that they can take care of themselves and that they are not alone and helpless. Unstructured activities make the kids confident and prepare them for the future when they can take risk in life. Says Chulani, “Socially, kids who play have social skill like- team building, ability to cooperate with others especially in team sports, adaptation to groups, communication skills because they need to engage actively with one another.”