Blog

The Power of PLAY!

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

Those who know me, work with me, have ever heard me speak, or have read my previous blogs know that I firmly believe children learn through play. I don’t just think this, but have seen evidence of it in my work as a pre-school teacher, professional school counselor, and resident-in-counseling where I have been able to leverage the interactive dynamics of games to benefit teaching, learning, and overall outcomes for students/clients.

Pretend play, structured play, independent play – all forms of play- foster healthy growth and development physically, cognitively, and socially. When given the space to create and play, children can learn about themselves and those around them. This exploration and experimentation through play is critical to the development of resilience and pro-social skills.

Games, one play modality, engage and motivate children. Playing games offers a safe way to practice taking chances and exploring new things. Games can motivate and they allow children to demonstrate learning, skill building, and often skill mastery.  Play/games foster a growth mindset and reinforce the fact that failure is not a setback or finite outcome. Instead, it is an opportunity to re-adjust strategy, try something new, and hone a variety of skills such as: problem-solving, sustained attention, turn-taking, sharing, compromise, cooperation, empathy, handling emotions, reading social cues, etc.

In partnership with Lipsett Learning Connection, The Wise Family is pleased to offer two groups that harness the power of play to support your children’s social emotional growth.

• The Social Skills Tinker Group is targeted for children ages 5-7 who may struggle with one or more of the following: developing a plan and following it through, managing emotions when things don’t go as planned, accepting ideas from others, and sharing.
• For children ages 8-10, we have the Game Lab, where participants will explore skills and strategies used while playing games and then work collaboratively to create original games. Through the sessions, children will practice communicating, problem-solving, and managing emotions.

We hope your child(ren) will join us for a group. As they say- Game On!

~Kasey Cain, Resident in Counseling and Guest Blog Contributor

Both groups are open for registration! Space is limited so be sure to book soon using the above registration links. If you have any questions about either group, don’t hesitate to reach out to support@thewisefamily.com.

Remember, Be Wise!