How Play Energizes Your Kid’s Brain
How Play Energizes Your Kid’s Brain
How Play Energizes Your Kid’s Brain
July 4, 2021
By Cassandra Willyard
Summary
Play can help kids learn, plan and even persevere in the face of adversity.
As babies become toddlers, their play gets more complex.
An alternate hypothesis is that pretend play helps kids develop a skill known as counterfactual reasoning.
These studies suggest that pretend play is a steppingstone to the important adult skill of planning.
Pretend play might also help kids regulate their emotions and persevere through difficult, tedious or frustrating tasks.
Open the box, they told the kids, and you'll be able to play with the toy.
For kids, of course, play isn't about learning or planning or regulating emotions.
Reference
Willyard, C. (2021, July 4). How play energizes your kid's brain. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/parenting/play-brain-science.html