Do you remember playing with friends when you were a child? The winter time snow storms where all of the kids on the street were jumping in the highest snow banks. Then afterwards everyone would gather inside for hot chocolate. Conversely, in the summertime there always seemed to be someone around to jump into the sprinkler with or make a fort out of old tree branches.
Most people can recall the constant merriment and laughter associated with childhood. But a struggle occurs when a child can’t play with peers because the anxiety, fear or worry is too big. Playtime then morphs itself from a whimsical activity to a very strategic maneuver where each moment is calculated and adapted depending on the circumstance. Who would have thought that playing was so much work?
Playing is Serious Business!
Play is not only useful, it is essential. Children learn so much about themselves, their peers and the world around them through playful activities. Playing builds their imagination and enhances social skills. It helps strengthen their physical and emotional development and it is scientifically proven to be good to our brains.
About Darlene Wierski-Devoe, CCPDarlene is a blogger at Raising Socially Anxious Children Blog, author of the illustrated children's anxiety book "Just Like You", and a certified life coach at Talk Breathe Live. She specializes in childhood mood and anxiety disorders.
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