The Power of Play
Parents may notice that their children’s play has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. How the Coronavirus Is Influencing Children’s Play describes some possible impacts.
Play offers many benefits for healthy physical, social and cognitive development. But, did you know it can be particularly important now to help children deal with emotions?
Play as the release valve to the COVID-19 pandemic: ‘it provides the emotional release we need’ offers a concise explanation of how play can help children cope. For a more detailed exploration, watch the webinar recording of the Neufeld Institute webinar with Deborah MacNamara, The Power of Play to Take Care of Us.
For some suggestions on play activities, download Let’s Play! Activities for Families. You can also download the four sets of activities separately:
- Set 1: Engagement with Others, Materials, and the World
- Set 2: Communication and Literacies
- Set 3: Identities, Social Responsibility, and Diversity
- Set 4: Well-Being and Belonging
Visit the website to download these booklets in Chinese Simplified, Filipino, German, Korean, Persian, Punjabi and Spanish. Once family literacy programs resume, these could be good resources to share with parents.
Related Blog Posts
A Guide to COVID-19 and Early Childhood Development
The Harvard Center on the Developing Child has released A Guide to COVID-19 and Early Childhood Development. This is a collection of resources and recommendations to help parents, caregivers, childcare …
Enjoy nature, close to home
Children and their families benefit from going outside, even when they can’t go too far from home. Read about it in Why nature play is so good for kids, especially …
Friday Fun: Books in the Movies
This summer explore the recent books adapted into movies and tv shows.