This holiday season, I’ve talked a lot about play.  Play is vitally important for a child’s development.  The AAP affirms that “play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth.”  Every toy my son plays with has been carefully selected by my husband and I.  We prefer safe, educational toys with lasting value.

Playskool is one such company that values the importance of play.  Their More Than Play Campaign is “an educational initiative designed to show parents how play lays down important foundational skills needed for advanced learning like reading, writing, mathematics, critical problem solving, and conceptual thinking.”  On the Playskool website, parents will learn about child development and the benefits surrounding the skills associated with each toy.

I focus a lot on the “educational” aspects of interaction with my son…the reading…the crafts. But more and more I’m realizing that play is just as vital to my son’s development.  Of course we play together.  But I guess I didn’t realize how important it is…as important as our story time and our coloring time.  I think sometimes I take my son’s playtime too lightly.  I’m not suggesting that we have a “formal” playtime.  But as he gets older and more verbal, I am noticing how his play has evolved.  Now we engage in a lot of pretend play, building, stacking, and sorting.

As part of this campaign, Playskool has developed a series of vignettes designed to illustrate a few of the benefits of play.  Here is one of my favorites:    

I went on the site and found it interesting that the DINO-ROARS HATCHLING we have teaches imagination, and the CLIPO toys we have teach problem solving and tactile play.  For more information on this campaign, check out their site.