The Importance of Play in Your Pre-Schooler's Life

Many parents regard free play as rather trivial in the lives of their pre-schoolers and would much rather see their kids get involved in formal games, educational classes, and organized sports. However, research suggests that free play may be actually healthier for your children than these more structured activities.

• Pretend play allows kids to test their ideas about the world and modify them as they go along. It provides children with a way to work emotional conflicts in creative ways. Finally, it offers a miniature world within which they can learn about social interactions and interpersonal relationships.

• Parents need to give their kids plenty of room to play. That means being willing to put up with some loudness and horseplay, as long as it doesn't become destructive. It also means providing a few resources, such as old clothes for dress-up activities, blocks or other building materials, outdoor play equipment, and an indoor playhouse or similar enclosure for fantasy play.

Giving your child a chance to unleash her creative imagination provides her with some basic building blocks, important for success in later life.

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