Research has found children think adults don’t take play time seriously, but according to play therapist Katie Long, play is incredibly important to a child’s development.
Recently, the United Nations adopted an International Day of Play, placing it on June 11, to act as a reminder to everyone of the powers of play.
The question behind why play is important is one play therapist Ms Long, who works out of Greater Shepparton business centre, has pondered in her own line of work.
Play therapy is “equivalent to talk therapy” but uses “play as tools of therapy” said Ms long.
Play allows children to practise essential life skills, process emotional events and learn much more about themselves and their world, according to Ms Long.
“Play can be fun but also great way of learning,” she said.
Research shows if children don’t have the opportunities to play, they are more likely to be literal in their play, have difficulty reading and understanding social situations and contexts and become less adaptive, she said.
On average, children are losing over eight hours of discretionary playtime per week and three in five children would like to play more than they do now, Ms Long said.
“I think play has always been one of those tricky things, as it’s hard to define. We associate it with something that’s frivolous, but it’s actually the catalyst for mastering skills and helping us to build self-esteem,” she said.
“As adults, what we do to engage in fun may look different, but we do it to help provide emotional relief, whether it’s walking in the park or swimming.
“Talking to educators, there has been a real disconnect between adults engaging with children in play … an increased use of screens has been partially responsible for that.”
Ms Long believes adults have a duty to provide time and space for children to engage in playful activities to ensure children have the ability to learn essential life skills, be creative, innovative, knowledgeable, active and engaged future adults.
“Children will naturally play, but they actually need someone who is more mature as a player to be able to build on that learning,” Ms Long said.
“Try having half an hour every day dedicated to absolute attuned time where the child gets to lead the play and the adult becomes the player in a space comfortable for the child.”
For more information about the International Day of Play, go to https://www.internationaldayofplay.org/
• Alice O’Brien is a Media Communication and Design student at Monash University, and is currently completing an internship with The News.
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