Instinctively, I've always known that imaginative play is an important part of childhood.
In a short amount of time this weekend, the fascinating article "The Serious Need for Play" from Scientific American (www.sciam.com) confirmed what I have suspected for a long time: that imaginative play is incredibly important to a child’s social and cognitive development, and that imaginative play is on the decline.
• Sustained free play, without imposed rules or structure from adults is the most important.
• Free play teaches social, coping and problem-solving skills, as well as creativity and language.
• Animals and adults who do not play when young tend not to thrive as adults.
• American children's free-play time has dropped drastically since the late 80's, because parents are scheduling every minute of their kids' days with lessons, classes and sports. And when kids aren't doing things to ensure they get into a good school, video games and computers fill the rest of their time.
• What to do? Author Amanda Wenner suggests playing house or doctor or mock fighting—as long as there aren't rules and the kids are in charge.
At GrowlGearStore.com, we suggest injecting imagination into your childs day every day. We choose all our products with creativity in mind, like our lion fleece hoodie (shown above), so your child can have fun and grow too!
