When your boy plays, is he just having fun?
To answer the question, you are supposed to make clear the following 2 more questions first.

What Is Play?

In psychology and ethology, play is a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with recreational pleasure and enjoyment. (Garvey, C. (1990). Play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.)

Play is often interpreted as frivolous, yet the player can be intently focused on their objective, particularly when play is structured and goal-oriented, as in a game. Many prominent researchers believes play was important for human development, it’s not just a pastime activity, and it has the potential to serve as an important tool in numerous aspects of daily life for adolescents, adults, and cognitively advanced non-human species (such as primates).
What’s the function of Play?

Not only does play promote and aid in physical development (such as hand–eye coordination), but it also aids in cognitive development and social skills, and can even act as a stepping stone into the world of integration, which can be a very stressful process. According, there’re 4 aspects in terms of function of Play:

1. Cognitive Development
Children learn from doing, which gives play a cognitive function. Play develops cognitive skills when children have to think and remember processes and rules. Children develop language skills and learn about the world and how it works. Play encourages children to explore creativity and imagination. As children solve problems during play, they learn to reason and develop their decision-making skills.

2. Physical Development
The physical function of play helps children develop strong muscles, bones and stamina. Play helps develop the brain as children interact with people and the world around them. Children learn to crawl, walk, run and jump as they learn to use large muscle groups in gross motor development. Fine motor skills are developed when children pick up toys, hold a crayon, use building blocks and sing songs that teach hand gestures or other movements. Play helps children develop balance, speed and coordination.

3. Emotional Development
Your child learns to succeed through play, but he also learns how to react to disappointment. As he masters his world, he develops new skills, acquires more knowledge and builds his confidence and resiliency. Play gives your child opportunities to develop his self and discover his interests and strengths. Emotion management is preliminary developed.

4. Social Development
Children need the social skills learned during play to enter the adult world. They develop social skills through play when learning about taking turns and sharing, rules, negotiation, cooperation and conflict resolution. While playing with others, children begin to develop characteristics such as kindness, empathy and self-control. Children begin to develop morals and to understand more about consequences.

After clear about the 2 questions above, answer of the title is simply for us. It’s obvious that when child plays, he’s not just having fun, but also developing himself.

The Adventure Ropes Course indoor and outdoor provided by JP, which is designed aiming to promote children’s development, is ideal for family entertain centers, theme parks, shopping malls, daycare centers, etc, those who share the same goal and commitment with JP.

If you’re interested to learn more about the adventure ropes course construction, feel free to contact us.