Consumer Affairs – Sarah D. Young
“We all know children need to play, and we all know children need their parents. But in the Venn Diagram of those two facts, the intersection is important. According to research, children need to play with their parents in order to gain certain social skills that will benefit them in the future. Playing specifically with a parent — as opposed to siblings or with friends on the playground — is crucial to helping build a child’s confidence. Parents can offer a child more mature, varied types of play, building competence that can then be carried over to other social situations. Parent-child pretend and physical play, according to Psychology Today, is linked with the child’s competence, gross motor skills, peer group leadership and cognitive development.”(more)