Play is a child’s work and this is not a trivial pursuit.
- Alfred Adler

Have you ever watched a child who was engrossed in play? A little girl creating elaborate lives for her dolls, with relationships, dreams, conflicts, resolutions. A young boy lining up rocks by size and shape, creating patterns in nature. Friends exploring characters and personalities as they dress up in fantasy as princesses, servants, knights, and even the castle cat. It might be tempting to dismiss this play as simple and unimportant, but it is far from that.

A child’s first language is play. It is through play that children explore relationships, practice gender roles, develop language skills, build muscular strength, increase confidence, foster creativity, master fears, and practice decision-making. That sounds pretty important to me! According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play is so important to optimal child development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child (Kenneth R. Ginsburg, 2007).

So as an adult, I would encourage you to rediscover your first language. Instead of insisting that your son explain “what were you thinking?!” in words, have him draw it in a picture. If your daughter is having trouble with her friends as school, try acting out scenarios with her, along with her dolls or stuffed animals. And even if there is no problem to be solved, spend time in play with your kids each day, and encourage your children to play both alone and with others. You’ll be surprised what you may learn!

Posted in Parenting, Play Therapy