So What’s the Point of Playtime?
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Scientists take play seriously. For decades, psychologists, evolutionary biologists, and animal behaviorists, among others, have labored to understand the playful mind.
Schools and parents alike should give children the time and opportunity to find their personal play styles. Play should be voluntary and enjoyable, not part of a high-stakes child-improvement plan.
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Clarifying the motivations and benefits of play could tell us much about behavior and cognitive development in people and other animals:
- Play may not enhance easy-to-measure things like IQ, but it may prime the brain to cope with the challenges and uncertainties of life.
- Young animals have an innate need to explore and experiment through play, a trait that could be useful for discovering food sources or learning other important lessons.
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Just like other playful creatures, children find deep rewards from play. Here are some of the reasons why children play:
- They’re setting up a cognitive space where they can create a problem and then solve it.
- Pretend play may also help children develop self-control and, paradoxically, understand the line between play and reality.
- Role-playing that involves feelings, such as pretending to be scared or triumphant, can help some children understand and control their emotions.
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