From a developmental perspective, what is the most important activity for children? Should they spend more time doing homework to hone their academic skills? Or should they read storybooks? Learn a sport like tennis or cricket? Enrol for Bharatanatyam or Taekwondo classes? Engage in creative pursuits like painting or Origami?
If there’s one activity that meets children’s physical, cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional needs, it’s plain old play. Yes, play, where children engage in any pursuit they like in any way they wish. The beauty of play is that it’s easy, simple and flexible and can meet every child’s developmental needs in so many ways.
What constitutes play? A key facet is that it involves any activity freely chosen by a child and done for its own sake. One child may build a tower with Lego blocks, while another may ‘cook’ for dolls using a kitchen set. Some may choose to play football or hopscotch with peers, while others may settle for a board game like Pallankuzhi or Scrabble. A group of kids may dress up as pirates and jump on a bed that serves as their make-believe ship, while another wanders in the backyard looking for caterpillars. One child may play a solitary Minecraft game offline, whereas an older teen may play it online with others.
Play encompasses a wide variety of activities that tap different skill sets. While some games are more physical, others may involve linguistic and strategic thinking. Fantasy play may harness a child’s imaginative and socioemotional capacities, while wandering outdoors may tap a child’s naturalistic and observational skills. Play may be cognitive, constructive, social, solitary or virtual. It could be done indoors or outdoors, without any equipment or with toys or digital gadgets.
Further, the different forms of play are not mutually exclusive. Because of its versatility, play can meet every child's unique needs and interests, from toddlers to teens.
Games on gadgets
While parents appreciate the benefits of play, many are sceptical about allowing children to play games on devices. Though time spent on devices may be limited to 45 minutes to an hour per day, we don’t need to ban online and video games outright as they confer benefits just like other forms of play. Playing video games can promote visual-spatial reasoning, problem-solving, critical thinking, imagination and creativity. For children with difficulty relating to people face-to-face, online games may provide a non-threatening platform to make positive social connections.
Play is also a wonderful way for children to discover themselves and their passions. Today’s overscheduled child is shepherded from school to tuition to various classes. In his book Free to Learn, psychologist Peter Gray bemoans this “careerist approach to childhood,” where children are nudged to garner accomplishments and accolades without necessarily being free to develop their identities. Children's little downtime is spent passively watching TV or scrolling through devices.
Instead, if play is an integral part of their daily lives, children will be compelled to look within themselves to find activities that interest them. Because play is done for its own sake, children get a chance to touch base with their authentic selves without any expected payoffs. Given how children are coached and identities are constructed solely for college admissions, many youngsters aren’t allowed to explore and craft their unique journeys.
Parents send children to umpteen classes nowadays because adults don’t want their wards to be tethered to devices. However, there’s another option. Setting a time limit for device usage will make playtime an integral part of their lives, and children will find ways to engage and energise themselves.
Though they may initially complain about boredom and may be at a loss without devices, their ingenuity will invariably kick in if we give them the time and space to do as they please. Further, if sufficient children in a neighbourhood can coincide with their playtimes, opportunities for playing with peers and making friends may abound.
As the famed Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky notes, “Play contains all developmental tendencies in a condensed form and is a major source of development.” By recognising the significance of play, we may gift childhood back to our children
(The author is a psychologist and writer)