While playgrounds are super fun and allow kids to run off their excess energy, swings, slides, and other playground equipment are far more beneficial than that. During the early years, kids go through so many changes, and lots of them are to do with social growth and emotional development and understanding, like these:
- the relationship between child development and early childhood education
- social-emotional learning and development in kids
- how indoor and outdoor playsets can help
Playing outside and with others is an incredibly beneficial pastime for youngsters and in their lives ahead
We all know that there are three main stages of child development: early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Early childhood is the period between birth and about eight years old and is a time of rapid change for youngsters where they learn to speak, understand, read, write, and more. It’s the steepest learning curve in a person’s life, and it’s largely influenced by the people around them.
Parents, caregivers, other children, and their environment help children form skills that will shape their personality and mental health in later life. And during this stage, the brain is at its most suggestible, so it’s important to encourage positive learning and experiences.
The relationship between child development and early childhood education
Education plays a crucial role in early childhood development. The early years of school are normally structured in the most beneficial way to help children develop early social skills and understanding of relationships or other people.
It also equips them with all the tools they need to reach their potential in lots of key areas such as:
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Cognitive skills (memory and attention)
- Personal accountability
- Knowing right from wrong
- How to communicate effectively
School is far more than a place to learn to read and write – it’s a place where kids learn to be themselves.
Social-emotional learning and development in kids
All the skills children will learn in school can directly influence their social and emotional development and ability to communicate with the outside world. The way adults resolve conflict is usually rooted in how their brains developed when they were children and the level of socialization they were exposed to.
Think about it, in school you have desk mates and must work together which teaches valuable lessons in patience, sharing and communications. Then there’s the playground where you can run free and makeup games with others which develops your social and creative skills. There are loads to learn outside your letters and numbers, especially if children are enrolled in extracurriculars like dance or art classes.
What’s more, giving kids high-quality learning opportunities and helping them learn to manage their feelings is a great boost to their mental health and wellbeing.
How indoor and outdoor playsets can help
Getting out and about in areas of potential fun and games is a great way to foster social play and emotional growth. Sure, they can run around after school and at weekends, but the school playground offers a curated experience for your child to exercise and learn social skills at the same time.
For example:
- Play Castles help encourage joint creative play and improve fitness and imagination
- Swings support internal balance development and fine motor skills
- Small bumps and tumbles in a controlled environment can help build resilience and foster compassion from others
- Slides help kids develop patience as they wait in line
- Exposure to the natural element builds up their immune system.
There’s a sense of freedom in the playground that inspires children to be free and explore the world around them with others. Playgrounds can build imagination and independence that allows kids to flourish and work more efficiently with others.
These feelings can also grow in a classroom but in different ways such as artistic imagination, reading independence, and more. It’s important to have a balance to help the children be more well-rounded and more confident in all kinds of social experiences.
There’s no need to confine this kind of activity to the summer either. More and more, playgrounds are being built to support year-round play so children can reap the social and emotional benefits come rain or shine. So, why not throw on the rainboots and raincoats, then head to the playground to let them splash and splosh their way to improved wellbeing, better social skills, and emotional development?
Education sure has its benefits on child development and learning, but social and emotional skills are learned in the playgrounds too. So, no matter the weather or time of year, let the kids (big kids too) run to the playground for a bit of fun with their friends. It’ll help them become who they were meant to be.
About the Author: Debbie is an experienced writer currently working for Affinity Agency based in the UK. She works with a range of clients such as Fawns and her main goal is to help others learn and develop through her writing.
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Christine Weis is a passionate educator, classroom management coach, wife, and mom of two busy boys. She enjoys teaching, writing, and creating resources for teachers.
Playing outside in an open space like playground plays a vital role in a child’s overall development. In this digital era we should encourage our kids to spend time playing outside. Wonderful post !!
I think it’s the perfect place to develop and boost it. Seeing and playing with the kids. Great post and thank you for sharing it!
We need a playground for children and not only letting them spend their idle time watching TV or Tiktok.
This helps children to learn real social engagement, make friends, and be more patient.
This is so true! Kids love to get out and explore playgrounds and they’re so great for mental health!
Great information! After keeping our kids home for so long because of the pandemic we have play sets at home now. Now we just need to invite more kids over.
I agree with this post 100 percent. It’s scares me when I see young children who are unable to interact with other church they age because their keep them lock in the house all the time. Great post especially for new mothers, sharing it with my sister.
This just makes me wonder how sad the children who were stuck at home for 2 years because of the pandemic. They weren’t able to go to school or play in the playgrounds like we used to do.
I love this post so much! I think we often forget just how important this aspect of education is. It’s not all about books and facts. There is a real place for interaction and physical activity in the school setting.
The playground is where kids learn how to be social in the most natural way possible in my opinion. It’s so important.
This is so true and important. It’s fascinating to read some of the studies on schools that (in the early 2000’s especially) cut down on recess time to increase “core subject” time. And students suffered, not only emotionally, but their academics dropped as well. Students need outdoor play time on creative play structures, not just for a “break”, but to build the important skills mentioned in this article.