Let the Children Play: 4 reasons why play is vital during the coronavirus

In our featured article from Today’s Parent, a professor in child and youth studies lays out the importance of play in childhood and how we should use this time of distancing to encourage the resurgence of play, especially during the time of coronavirus. As a pediatrician, I love to study children, to understand how their brains develop and how they make sense of all the new things going on around them. As the mom of a three year old, I cannot tell you how much I enjoy listening to her play. Most often, it will occur spontaneously, she retreats from us and into a new world with her dolls, or crayons, or different sized or colored random objects and there is discussion, negotiation, sometimes conflict, and problem solving. The scenarios often involve interactions with friends, siblings, parents - and she gets to change her role in the play to see what it feels like from different perspectives. It has and continues to be a great way for her to process what she observes, manage some frustrations that she has experienced, and for me, allows me a little window into all the connections that are being made in that rapidly developing brain of hers. In our girls’ bedroom, we have a quote, “Each Child is a story, yet to be told.” Enjoy watching, and hearing that story unfold right from the beginning! Click here to read the full article.