The benefits of playtime in cultivating children’s talent

Saturday, 31 December 2011 00:51 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

With increasing amounts of research been put in to what makes a gifted and talented child, experts have identified that the family unit plays an immense role.

Children expect their parents to show in some form, guidance and support in what they do in their day-to-day activities. Parents who spend time with their children are more able to tune in to their child’s interests and respond by offering appropriate educational enrichment opportunities.

“Parents, as children’s first teachers should ensure their child’s developing mind is nurtured by loving interactions, secure and predictable environments and hands-on experiences which invite exploration and allow their children to learn and grow,” said Chaminga Dhanapala, a Reg. Clinical Psy-chologist (SLMC), (PRBV, Aus), (BPS, UK), MSocSci (Hons, NZ), Post Grad Dip Psych (Psych. Hons, Aus), BSocSc, (Psych. Hons, NZ), BSc (Psych, NZ), MAPS, who is a Consultant at Lanka Hospitals and Durdans Hospital.

She added: “The key elements of child development are cognitive, emotional, social and physical development. Most parents tend to focus more on the cognitive and physical development. All areas of child development can be enhanced through play activities, but unfortunately, in today’s society, our children seem to be provided with fewer opportunities to play.” In the early years parents allowed their children the freedom to self discover by exposing them to a variety of interesting explorations and by encouraging them to learn about a wide variety of subjects such as art, nature, music, history, and sports. However, with time and the progression of technology and society itself you find that such aesthetics aren’t seemingly given enough importance.

“There are many ways parents can enhance their child’s development. Frequent, simple, hands-on experiences, which include talking, touching, listening, tasting, smelling, playing, singing, looking and running leads to building young children’s brains. Because infants and young children are primed to learn from birth, the key is to provide a variety of interesting experiences over time. Exposing your child to new things helps the brain strengthen old connections and form new connections,” Dhanapala said.

The constant dependency on additional help in the form of multiple caregivers providing inconsistent and/or inadequate levels of support is yet another reason which leads to poor development and reduced ability to form secure and stable attachments for your child. Home stimulation and support of interests are vital to the development of talents.

Dhanapala explained that arts engage a variety of the brain’s areas that help children learn emotion, cognition and memory and provide them with a new set of skills for self-expression, motor skills, communication skills and social skills.

Art goes beyond verbal language to communicate feelings that might not otherwise be expressed. The process of creating art allows the child to explore, discover and experiment with different mediums, exposing them to healthy recreational habits. It is of fundamental importance that parents involve themselves in the learning process of their children. It is also important that they direct their children into avenues such as the arts, music and physical activity that will enrich them in to more holistic beings.