The Cognitive Benefits Of Learning Through Play For Kids

Play is among the most essential aspects of a child’s life. It is through playing that children learn how to interact socially and think creatively. Indeed, aside from being fun and exciting, play is very crucial to your child’s overall development. Specifically, when it comes to cognitive development, the benefits of learning through play are enormous.

Cognitive development basically refers to the way children think, explore, and figure things out. In other words, it is the growth of your child’s ability to think and reason. In a previous article we had explored the superfoods that aid in brain power, but did you know that your child’s cognitive development can be easily enhanced through play as well? Read on to find out some of the most amazing cognitive benefits that playing can bring to your precious child!

1. Boosts the Importance of Senses

Learning through play allows children to use and combine their senses of vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Magnifying the importance of these senses while playing can ultimately improve children’s cognitive thinking skills. This is actually called as “sensory play,” which is considered to be a crucial aspect of a child’s learning process.

With the use of their senses, your child can more easily notice or compare differences in their surroundings. Particularly, allowing your kid to have outdoor sensory play like on a playground can help them learn how to identify varying colours, smells, and textures. In addition, your child can also use their senses to familiarise themselves with new objects and learn about their environment.

2. Improves Critical Thinking Skills

Participating in free play can help children develop their ability to make decisions and improve their critical thinking capabilities. These skills usually emerge when a child faces certain internal or external questions, such as what, when, why, or how. By encouraging your child to explore and ask questions about their environment, you can help them come up with their own logical conclusions as they grow up.

Basically, a vital aspect of critical thinking surfaces when children are permitted to make some decisions on their own. This can be done by allowing your child to play without a strict set of limits. Some great examples of flexible, open-ended play are storytelling, roleplay, sorting games, riddles, guessing games, and unstructured play.

3. Strengthens Memory and Attention

Playing outdoors specifically provide children with a kind of physical exercise that can positively impact their hippocampus, the part of the brain mainly responsible for an individual’s learning and memory. By frequently playing outside, children can develop the essential functions they need to concentrate on a task, remember detailed information, and stimulate neuron growth.

Moreover, the enhancement of motor skills through can help with your child’s working memory capabilities. Sometimes, children may find it hard to retain instructions or information, but concentrating on activities that stimulate their memory and attention can set them up for success. Some examples of activities that can boost memory and attention are card games, recalling colours and shapes, visual memory games, and group activities like “Simon Says.”

4. Enhances Imagination and Creativity

Among the most obvious and common cognitive benefits of play is that it can enhance imagination and creativity. Providing your child with the means to use their imagination and think creatively can help them adjust to the unknown and come up with effective solutions whenever they are faced with unfamiliar situations.

To participate in activities or play any game, children need to make pathways and connections that help them understand different concepts. The same is true for games that involve pretend play. In essence, working with imagination and creativity is a wonderful tool to promote your child’s ability to adopt flexibility in their approach and to motivate them to try new things.

Conclusion

There are numerous different ways for cognitive development to be developed and enhanced on an indoor and outdoor playground. Between playing memory games and interacting with other kinds, your child can explore so many possibilities and learn a lot of things while playing. Learning through play allows your child to have fun while growing!

If you are looking for the most effective cognitive brain training in Singapore to help develop your child’s ability to think and reason, The Brain Academia has got you covered! We offer engaging yet valuable cognitive training programs that help children unlock and enhance their cognitive skills through play and having fun. With our outcome-oriented training approach, we can surely help your child achieve their best potential! To start your child’s journey with us or for more information, do not hesitate to get in touch with us today by filling up this contact form.