The Fun Language of Children: Play

Play is the way children understand and explore the world. The process of playing, which begins from an early age, should not be seen merely as entertainment or a simple leisure activity.

Games are critical spaces that support children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skill development, while also allowing us to understand their inner worlds.

As parents, we easily receive answers through games that we cannot get clearly when we ask our children questions. This power of play is something that pedagogues and psychologists know very well, and the concept of play therapy was actually born from this very power.

When you play with your children, you make them feel valued, and as your children feel valued, they tell you everything.

Unfortunately, every moment we cannot spare for our children today, every minute we cannot play together, leads to our children drifting away from us and often forming the wrong friendships.

Of course, there will be parents among us who read these lines and find the new generation's approach to parenting too child-centered, saying, "It wasn't like this in our time, we are spoiling children more and more!" Yes, you are very right, it wasn't like this in our time!

However, there is a very important thing you are forgetting. Yes, it wasn't like this in our time, and yes, we couldn't play games with our parents; but we didn't need to! We played on the street or in our gardens, and we met our need for play by playing with our peers.

So, is the situation like that now? There are children in big cities who are raised between four walls without seeing parks or gardens; children who are taken to playgroups by paying money just to play. If you notice, I didn't even bother to write about the possibility of playing on the street due to safety concerns!

The situation is like this in big cities, but do you think it is different in smaller places? No, the situation is not much different there either! As such, our children cannot play with their peers and want to play with us.

So, what do we as parents do in this situation? We say, "I'm tired, I have work, I have a match, I have a show to watch," or even worse, "I'm sleepy," and we turn down their request to play!

So, what do we expect from our children, for whom we cannot even fulfill one of their most basic needs, which is playing, or do we have the right to expect anything at all? I am writing the answer you will not like: We have no right to expect anything from our children with whom we do not play together or to whom we do not even offer the opportunity to play!

Because they are children; they are not small-sized adults, and they act on their impulses, not their logic!

In that case, what we need to do is to ensure our children play. Of course, these are not digital games where we hand them a tablet or phone and say, "You play now, dear!" to get them away from us.

What we mean here are games like hide-and-seek, tag, "what is it," or "the floor is lava." These types of games are very beneficial for our children. Because as children play together, they reinforce their skills such as sharing, cooperating, and conflict resolution.

Group games allow children to develop empathy by interacting with different personalities. The relationships they build while playing with their friends form the foundation of the social skills they will carry throughout their lives.

Games are very beneficial for children to develop their emotional intelligence. Acting out different scenarios helps them express their emotions using their imagination.

The challenges they face during play contribute to their emotional resilience. Losing during a game, accepting defeat, or solving a problem greatly supports children's emotional maturation.

Mind games and activities that require strategy improve children's problem-solving abilities, encouraging logic, planning, and critical thinking skills. Furthermore, concepts and information learned through play also make it easier for children to prepare for school life.

What I have tried to express in a few lines here, dear parents, is this: Play is not just a form of entertainment for children, but also a multi-dimensional tool for learning and development! By giving them the opportunity to play, we support their development. Let us not forget that while children are playing, they are actually learning about life!