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Benefits of Play
A child also learns to focus his attention for a period of time by playing. Attention span develops as he gets older. Play is a good way for a child to practice focusing his attention because it is a child-directed activity. Because a child chooses to play, he tends to stay focused longer.
A child practices a wide variety of skills during play, including:
- gross motor — big movements of the arms, and/or legs
- fine motor — small movements of the hands, fingers, mouth, and/or tongue
- eye-hand coordination
- following objects with his eyes
Play helps a child develop both cognitive and language skills, such as:
- thinking
- reasoning
- planning and decision making
- listening and speaking