What Is Creative Play And Why Is It Important? – Being Parents
In order for children to learn, they need to play and have fun, and play is the best way to learn. If, moreover, we combine creativity and imagination, it is the perfect combination for a good development of children. As a parent, you need to know what creative play is and why it is important.
It is your duty to provide your children with opportunities for creative play, because in this way you will help them in their development. They will grow up happy knowing that learning is not boring, but quite the opposite.
Creative play in childhood
Creative play gives children the opportunity to have fun and develop their minds properly. During creative play, children learn skills that are essential for academic learning and social development.
The importance of this type of game
Mother Nature designed the game as a way to grow and mature. Baby animals are naturally playful. In this sense, children also love play activities. Understanding the value of play means valuing playful activities and encouraging creative play as an integral part of your child’s development.
The active part of creativity is very important for the development of the child from an early age. Creativity is about experimenting, inventing, designing and trying new things while having fun.
Parents can encourage children to have new experiences in a safe environment. They can thus promote their development in a global way thanks to all kinds of playful activities.
Types of creative play
Creative play exists in different forms. It crosses borders in all areas of child development. When you truly realize what it means to encourage creative play, you begin to see the opportunities that surround you every day.
Once you start to think creatively, you will find that there are many areas of activity. Key areas of child development can always be improved through creative play. You can start to brainstorm and combine creative ideas in the following areas: physical, emotional, social, and cognitive.
Children’s creative minds are awakened by sensory development through touch, taste, hearing, smell and seeing the world around them. Giving children the opportunity to increase their creativity is a fundamental part of children’s education. Gaming experiences are possible and simple in all situations.
Some examples of creative and fun play
So, now that you know the theory of creative play, what about the practice? The how, where, with whom, what and when of creative play. A lot of creative play happens naturally. However, you can create a fun and creative environment for your child.
Here are some examples to help you create creative play spaces for your children that you can enjoy as a family. Don’t miss out on the details below so your creativity can run its course too!
Outdoor spaces
You can encourage creative outdoor play by promoting physical creativity through climbing, running, jumping or crawling… Give free rein to your child’s imagination to express his gross motor skills!
You can create an obstacle course with chairs, ottomans, wooden planks, plastic cones… The garden is also a good place for your children to work with plants and see the force of nature.
Gardening is great for connecting with nature. You can decorate pots and even create fairy gardens if you have room in your garden. Otherwise, balconies and kitchens can contain plants to make your family mini garden.
In the kitchen
You can also be very creative in the kitchen! You can bake cookies as a family and decorate them, make madeleines… Children love to touch, taste, smell and create delicious dishes and desserts. In addition to working on creativity in the kitchen, they will experience great satisfaction in being able to taste what they themselves have cooked with your help.
Older children benefit from the ability to weigh and measure. They will thus learn to prepare light meals or salads. The kitchen can be a real place of creativity. You just have to give them the right tools and help them through the process.
The bedroom or the playroom
If you’re lucky enough to have a separate game room, that’s an advantage. But with a few ideas that are easy to put together and tidy, the bedroom can also be a creative place.
Puzzles, building blocks, and LEGOs are good investments to make for creative play. Place a mat on the floor for the play space. Also plan a storage space to put everything in order after play time.
Dressing up is also a great idea as the kids have a lot of fun. They lose some of their inhibitions and can give free rein to their creativity.
Also, never underestimate the value of books. Creativity through the imagination is an essential part of expanding the mind. A cozy corner with an ottoman and a few books is a special place to go any time of the day.
These are just a few ideas for encouraging creative play in children. Of course, there are many more, like going on excursions, enjoying nature, doing creative writing… Just think about what your kids like and enjoy it together.