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5 Ways that Parents Hinder their Children’s Playtime

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Parenting is one of the most important and complex jobs on the planet, and every individual child is different, but experts suggest that one of the major mistakes made by made parents is actually in interfering with their children’s playtime and the learning it can produces.

Quite a few parents can hinder their children’s playtime by not realising what is needed for it to be successful, or the value that is contained within it. The importance of playtime cannot be underestimated, as it is crucial to a child’s wellbeing and offers other benefits such as learning motor skills, co-ordination, how to resolve conflicts, and also to use their imagination.

We’re passionate about learn through play and all the advantages that come with having a playtime, and we also have great respect for parents and guardians. That said, parents can interfere unnecessarily at times. Here are five common ways parents hinder a child’s playtime.

Issue Too Many Warnings

Some parents should let go of a few of the fears they have over their children having their own playtime. These fears can actually prevent children from trying new things. Children should be encouraged to always be confident, curious and explore new things. Worrying about every little thing that the children do should be avoided. Of course it is vital to make safety provisions, and a concern for your child’s wellbeing is a great quality, but a healthy balance needs to be found.

Allocating a fixed play ’script

Many TV shows present a certain theme or costume, with children beginning to show an interest after watching these shows. There’s nothing wrong with this, but the problem can come when parents limit children to only specific costumes, toys or play types without any freedom to make their own choices. Parents should at least let their children negotiate a little and choose the roles they will play, especially if they’re preparing a play or scenario. Being actively involved allows children to develop their minds, solve tension and also exchange creative ideas.

Too Many Responsibilities

This is another major thing that can hinder playtime, particularly as they get older, as many schedules force children to focus on a range of curricular and extra-curricular activities, leaving little or no time for play. In many cases, the most original and creative play is developed when a child has time and space, which these days can be an increasingly rare case.

Relying on ‘Screen Time’

It’s rare to find a child who will turn off a screen voluntarily. Whether it’s the TV, smartphone, tablet or computer games, these tools are addictive, seeming to instantly gratify children more powerfully than toys or outdoor play. That may be the case, but instant gratification isn’t always helpful, so parents should set limits on the amount of time their children spend with screens and provide better alternatives that show their children how to bring out fun in different ways.

Over-supervising

Another mistake that parents can make is hovering too close to their children while they are playing. Particularly as children start to grow up and get more confident in their abilities, this prevents children from being creative due to the overbearing eye of their parents. Parents can even allow their children to be involved in conflicts to a degree, allowing them to resolve them independently and later providing helpful feedback.

One important thing for parents to be aware of her is that, actually, they are not always the ones that should provide the solutions to their children’s boredom. Mentally, children develop faster when they are left to make their own choices and be the solution to their own problems. This is because making their own decisions requires time, privacy and other necessary tools. Of course, a parent shouldn’t become distance and disengaged, but again there is a healthy balance to be found.