More About Children Playing

With each additional insight about children playing you may wonder why I am writing so many insights about this topic. I do not want you to feel guilty if children are spending a lot of time playing. I want you to realize that play, as you will read in the coming insights is constructive and valuable.

When adults feel overwhelmed, we retreat into activities that soothe us. We exercise, go for a walk, weed the garden or play a board game. These activities are a way of bringing play back into our lives.

Children are the same, although they need a lot more playtime than adults. Frequent daily play can help reduce anxiety, stress and irritability. It can boost joy and self-esteem. Children generally have little power or say over their daily activities. This is even more true during war, displacement, and chaos. But in the world of play, they have the opportunity to set the rules and be the ones with the power. For a short period of time, they feel that life is under control.

Play is as much a part of healthy development as eating vegetables, reading books together, and getting a good night’s sleep. Through play, children learn how to live in a way they can understand. They learn how to work in groups, share, negotiate, solve conflicts and speak up for themselves. All these skills are important in learning how to live post-trauma or mid-trauma.