Get the Flash Player to see this content.
4-year-old Lydia Hall (left) enjoys playtime along with her classmates at the Ronald Reagan Pavilion. Janeen Wynn/MNS
WASHINGTON –Playtime is a favorite part of the day for children and research shows it’s very important for proper childhood development. A study from Alliance for Childhood concluded that playtime is disappearing from the school day curriculum and getting replaced by standardized testing.
Replacing building blocks with books may sound like a good idea but experts, from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, say playtime contributes to emotional development and should be essential in a child’s day.
“Research shows that if children are feeling emotionally and socially competent then they will grow into very strong emotional adults,” said Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services at SAMSHA.