The importance (development of children) of play in school

04 Apr The importance (development of children) of play in school

The game is a mental and physical activity that favors the development of children in an integral and harmonious way. Playing will offer children thousands of possibilities to achieve their development such as investigating, creating, having fun, discovering, fantasizing, or deluding themselves. Thanks to these actions the child manages to come into contact with the world in a satisfactory way. But, what role does it play in the classroom? What is the importance of games at school?

The Game At School

Today the game at school is decisive since it contributes to the intellectual, emotional, and physical development of children.

Intellectual development

The mental activity that occurs through the game is continuous, so the game involves creativity, imagination, and exploration. The child creates things and invents solutions to problems that arise through play. In addition, the little one learns to focus his attention on what he does, to memorize and reason among others.

Emotional development

With the game at school, there are situations in which the child learns to control his feelings and solve his emotional problems.

Physical development

The child through play runs, jumps, climbs, and goes up and down. Thanks to this he learns to control his own body and coordinate his movements.

In short, the game helps to make optimal progress in these three fundamental areas of development so that the little one becomes a social being and finds his place in the world.

Social development

With the incorporation of the child into the group thanks to the development in other areas, the relationship and cooperation of the child with their peers and their authority figures are facilitated. Thanks to this, through the game the language is developed and perfected. In addition, group games in which certain roles are assumed and adults are imitated (symbolic play) help the learning of behaviors, norms, and social habits that are important for the future.

The Role Of The Teacher Before The Game At School

The teacher must bear in mind that play at school is the fundamental activity of the child and that thanks to it he is able to express himself and develop physically, mentally, and socially. In addition, he must understand the evolutionary moments in which the child finds himself.

The role that you must acquire is that of game animator and even be one more player. His role will be characterized by guiding, giving ideas, and encouraging the children during the game. This way of acting on the part of the adult will be far from managerial, organizational, serious, and imposing positions since the child must see in his teacher someone to whom he can go with a more relaxed attitude.

In order to perform this role optimally, the following must be taken into account:

The design of the space

The space must be safe, stable, and calm. The classroom must be structured in such a way that both spontaneous and free play can take place, as well as play with rules and educational purposes in small groups and the whole group.

The material for the game

The material used will be the “pretext” for which the game will be given. These must-have characteristics favor divergent thinking and creativity.

The organization of game times

Time must be organized in such a way that each type of game can take place: individual, in pairs, in groups, structured, free. All of them bring benefits to the child and that is why they must all appear.

The teacher’s attitude

The position teacher must be discreet, observant, and act as the driver of the game. For this, he must create a relaxed and permissive climate where the child can express himself by respecting the rules and the teacher must accept the mistakes that the child makes as something normal within the process of their development.

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