The Importance of Physical Play in Child Development

Physical play includes activities that use physical movements to allow children to use their energy, and it gives children the chance to develop gross and fine motor skills, learn new things and socialize. Physical play also benefits a child’s health. Understanding the importance of physical play is vital to your child’s development.

Learning
According to the Child Development Institute, 75 percent of brain development occurs after birth. Physical play helps a child to develop connections between the nerve cells and the brain. As these connections develop, a child’s fine and gross motor skills, socialization, personal awareness, language, creativity and problem solving are improved. Ideal physical play incorporates play with social interactions and problem solving.

Health
Physical play provides various health benefits. According to the North Carolina Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center, physical activity promotes early brain development and learning in infants and young children. It also decreases the risk of developing health conditions like coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity and many other chronic health conditions.

Indoor Play
Many children lack indoor physical play because many environments are not conducive to indoor physical play. However, indoor physical play provides a safe, supervised way to incorporate learning. If space is lacking, move furniture, use a hallway or use a covered outdoor area (like a covered porch, pavilion area or awning) to provide space for guided physical play. These areas provide the perfect environment for gentle games of catch, Duck-Duck-Goose, bowling, Simon Says, dancing or various other physically active games.

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