Happy New Year! If you could do anything different with your children, family or even individually this year, what would you do? At Crossroads Family Counseling Center, LLC, we recommend; MORE TIME TO PLAY!
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
― Plato
Play is not trivial; it’s a basic biological drive as critical to our health as sleep or food. Stuart Brown, author of the book , Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.
The American Academy of Pediatrics in a recent report explains why children are playing less and what the impact is on today’s kids. Over the last few decades, the amount of play time has been reduced both at school and at home, according to the AAP. Many school districts have responded to increased government pressure about academics (including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) by reducing the time committed to free play to focus more on reading and mathematics. And a child’s playtime at home has been negatively affected by the hectic lifestyles of today’s working parents and the increased focus that parents often put on the academic end of their children’s education. But this all comes at a cost.
- Play nurtures relationships
- Play promotes positive social skills
- Play reduces stress
- Play makes you happier
- Play promotes creativity
- Play creates health and fitness
- Play builds stronger brains
- Play teaches cooperation
- Play optimizes learning
- Play is FUN
Christine Carter, PhD shares in her blog Raising Happiness: Want to boost your mood this week? Challenge your family members to an old-fashioned board game. A whopping 91% of families who play games report that playing games together improves their mood–even for 13-17 year olds–according to a recent survey (commissioned by Hasbro but conducted by an independent research company). Additionally, the survey found that the more a family plays games together, the more satisfied parents tend to be with their family time. http://www.christinecarter.com/community/blog/2013/11/happiness-tip-have-a-family-game-night/.
Pinterest also has a ton of activities for parents and children indoors and outdoors. https://www.pinterest.com/coleenvannoy/activities-for-parents-to-do-with-their-children/
Whatever you decide to do remember play is an essential and joyful part of childhood development and creates opportunities for parents and children to bond. As you start the New Year, find ways to work play into your daily life whether it’s playing a family game, doing a hobby, a puzzle, reading a good book or going for a family walk. “A family that plays together stays together”.
Happy New Year from Crossroads Family Counseling Center, LLC!