Play helps children develop holistically and grow into happy, well-balanced and conscious adults. Children benefit from playing and socialising with their peers. They develop empathy and the ability to see things from someone else’s perspective while learning from their peers. Play also gives your child an opportunity to watch, listen, imitate and learn new vocabularies.
At Bright Kids, learning is always fun. We create learning experiences that encourage the development of cognitive, psychomotor and social skills, confidence and independence. While students are encouraged to imagine, play, be creative and collaborate, they also learn to take responsibility, make decisions and solve problems.
Benefits of play
Play is instrumental in helping children form secure attachments to their families, other children and educators. Children feel secure and supported when they have healthy, strong relationships, and this affects their happiness, self-esteem and ability to learn. Play has a positive intellectual and cognitive impact and it helps children develop important life skills; they learn to imagine, explore, take risks and negotiate, concentrate, take turns and share, which develops their ability to regulate their behaviour and emotions.
While summers can be fun, it is easy for children to forget all the good habits that their parents and schools have worked so hard to instil, especially in an increasingly screen-centred world with televisions, computers, tablets and phones. Well-designed summer camps give children the chance to stay active and engaged in a fun and enabling environment.
A good summer programme will provide a stimulating learning environment that encourages children to imagine, play, be creative and collaborate.
A good summer programme will provide a stimulating learning environment that encourages children to imagine, play, be creative and collaborate. Kids grow more confident and independent as they learn to take responsibility, make decisions and solve problems.
Parents can support their children by expressing an interest in their experiences, engaging their children in meaningful conversations and asking open-ended questions. By providing appropriate, relevant at-home activities, parents can support and reinforce the skills that their child is learning and creating a synergy between the child’s time at home and at summer camp.
— The writer is KBBO Group’s Associate Director of Education
