The importance of play for your child's development
2 September 2020 | State Library of Queensland
Playing with your 0-5 year old is a fun way to help them learn and develop important skills, including those that will help their language development. The great news is, you don't need expensive toys or education apps: your child just needs you!
Playing with your 0-5 year old is a fun way to share special, brain-boosting time with your child
When you talk, read, sing and play with your child every day, you boost their brain development, help them discover a lifelong love of learning and discovery and build their special connection with you.
Try some of these fun, free and simple ways to play with your child:
- Use chalk or a paintbrush and water to scribble, draw and write on a path or fence
- Make cubbies and forts with blankets, pillows or boxes
- Explore outdoors and see what you can find: keep an eye out for interesting rocks, feathers or plants you could chat about
Learn more about why play is so important in this video from Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child.
Play can foster children's resilience to hardship and the complex interactions involved when children play help build their brains.
Resources
Play in Early Childhood: The Role of Play in Any Setting. Harvard University Center on the Developing Child.
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