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Fact Sheet
Children in Need and the
Importance of Play to Developmental Growth
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Child
development research shows that play forms
the foundation for developing not just social
skills, but also for language and for mastering
important intellectual concepts and thinking
skills.
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Ninety-three
percent of parents with young children see
a strong link between play and social development,
while 88% see a strong link between play and
intellectual development, and 80% see a strong
link between play and language skill development.
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Research
has demonstrated the beneficial effects of
play for cognitive development, including language
skills/vocabulary, problem solving, perspective
taking, representational skills, memory and
creativity.
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Play
fosters the development of non-cognitive factors
that are essential for learning, including
emotional self-regulation. Children must be
able to focus their attention on the task at
hand and control their emotions when in the
classroom. They must be able to organize their
behavior and listen to the teacher.
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Play
has been shown to contribute to the development
of social skills, such as turn taking, following
rules, empathy, self-confidence and motivation.
Studies have also found the positive effectives
of play on children’s physical development,
including muscle growth, coordination and obesity
prevention.
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Play is also credited with helping children develop
self-esteem and a sense of fulfillment and well-being,
as well as practicing leadership and negotiating
skills.
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Play
has proven to be a highly successful method
for dealing with children who
have emotional and
physical disabilities – from play acting
to simple games that encourage troubled children
to interact with a therapist, parent or another
child.
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Yet,
play is under intense pressure. It is being
squeezed out of certain schools as
frivolous and
unnecessary. Recess at many schools is being
systematically eliminated. This is no small matter:
In the name
of competition, some parents and teachers are
demanding the kind of results from play that
can be measured
on tests, while its importance in encouraging
imagination, teamwork, freedom and self-expression – values
central to the American character – are
being overlooked.
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Play is, indeed, a serious quality of life issue
for children in America, regardless of gender,
ethnic heritage, socio-economic background or physical/emotional
disabilities.
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