Importance of creative play & tips to help your child play creatively

Top 5 tips to include play in your child’s routine:

1. Set aside time for unstructured play;

2. Allow children to explore the world around them and ask questions;

3. Encourage children to engage in different forms of play such as role play;

4. Put technology aside for a while;

5. Find a balance between organised and unorganised activities.

Today’s urban kids live a fast paced life, where unstructured play is often put aside or replaced by technology. However, the jobs of the future will require skills that can be developed through different forms of play, that naturally utilise problem solving, critical thinking and creativity. So it is vital that we think about ways that children can engage in free child-driven play! Whether that takes the form of inventing games together, or playing with educational construction toys such as Magformers, these activities contribute to the cognitive skills emphasised and developed at school.

If you’re not convinced, consider for a moment the value of the activities you undertook as a child either alone or with others. While technology is important as well, there must be a healthy balance between 2D and 3D play, to ensure that vital skills such as spatial awareness are not lost in the 2D world of technology.