Why play is so important in kindergarten

Children learn to communicate their needs, emotions, and intentions through play. They also learn to understand and follow instructions—all while having fun! At home, you can help your little one develop their ability to express themselves by encouraging them to do the following:

• Explore books
• Discuss what they see by asking questions (e.g., Why do you think this person is wearing a helmet?)
• Name their emotions
• Play imagination games (e.g., pretend to be a parent, doctor, or teacher)
• Etc.

When children play, they learn to interact with those around them. For these interactions to go smoothly, children must learn to respect their boundaries as well as those of their friends. They must also learn how to resolve minor conflicts. To help your child start kindergarten off on the right foot, here are some social skills you can teach them:

• How to meet new people (e.g., introduce themselves, ask a friend to play)
• How to share toys and other materials
• How to encourage others (you can set an example by encouraging your child)
• How to express their needs and opinions using sentence starters such as “I’d like,” “I wish,” and “I think that”
• Etc.

Through play, children also develop their interests, discover what they like or don’t like, and gain confidence in their abilities. It’s how they develop their own personalities, bit by bit. Here are a few simple things you can do to nudge your child in the right direction:

• Celebrate their strengths (e.g., praise their efforts and attempts)
• Ask for their opinion (e.g., ask them questions such as: Did you like the story? Why?)
• Encourage their autonomy (e.g., invite them to choose their own clothes or decide what to watch on movie night)
• Encourage their initiatives
• Etc.

Whether it’s when they’re crafting, building a block tower, playing with modelling clay, doing a puzzle, or colouring, your child will eventually face discouraging challenges. In kindergarten, they’ll be encouraged to explore strategies to complete what they’ve started, despite these hurdles. To prepare your child to cope with life’s setbacks, you can try the following:

• Highlight their efforts rather than the results
• Encourage them to try different strategies to solve problems (e.g., ask a friend or adult for help, approach it from a new angle)
• Give them a hand with more difficult tasks
• Spark their curiosity
• Etc.

Most children are curious by nature. They like to observe, discover, experiment, and manipulate objects. Playing is a wonderful way to explore all the new things around them. Every time you play with your child, you’re teaching them a little bit more about their world. Here are some things you can do when you play with your child:

• Ask them to describe what they’re doing or seeing
• Draw connections between what they’ve learned and everyday life
• Come up with and test hypotheses (e.g., do science experiments)
• Etc.