Research has shown that play contributes to both
the mental and physical health of young people.
The quality of a child’s early experiences has a direct impact
on their brain’s development and their ability to learn. From the
age of two to early adolescence, there is rapid growth in the
number of nerves and neural pathways. The extent of this growth is
determined by the quality of a child’s experiences and
environment, to which engaging play opportunities can
contribute.
Evidence suggests that play can contribute to a child’s
resilience – his or her ability to rise to challenges, withstand
stress, and overcome adversity. For example, elements of play such
as uncertainty, risk and make-believe can encourage the development
of a child’s emotional repertoire through strategies such as
bravery, courage, and sociability.
Play allows a child to create and resolve uncertainty,
especially in relation to imagined risk. This can help develop a
healthy response to stress.
The self-directed nature of play is key to its value. Some
research suggests that children do not just develop in response to
passive experiences, but rather to the results of actions initiated
themselves.
Good quality play experiences can also help improve children’s
mental health. In 1999 the Mental Health Foundation reported that
the increasingly limited opportunities for children to play
outside, or to attend supervised play projects, was a causative
factor in the rise in mental ill-health in young people.
Physical health
Physically active play supports children’s health in a number of
ways including the development of motor-skills, increased energy
expenditure, the prevention of chronic disease and the relief of
anxiety.
Energetic play contributes to the one-hour per day of physical
activity recommended by the Chief Medical Officer. However,
research conducted in 2009 by the British Heart Foundation found
that out of 4,000 children, one in three are physically active for
just a single hour each week.
In 2001, the British Medical Journal reported an ‘obesity
epidemic in young (pre-school) children’. The article went on to
state that providing opportunities for energetic play may be the
only incentive children need to be more physically active.
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