During the month of February our posts will all be centered on play! Play time is one of our favorite times of day! The benefits to play are numerous. Through play your child will learn social skills, independence and expand their vocabulary. Did you know that when a preschooler is playing with blocks they are engaged in at least one math- building activity, such as comparing sizes or counting. Free play teaches teamwork and creativity. Play is so important to children’s development that the United Nations recognizes it as a fundamental human right. Play increases social reciprocity which in younger learners can look like joint attention on the same game or maybe smiling and acknowledging peers! Children learn to regulate emotions and  understand others perspectives during social play. Research shows play increases cognitive skills in children like joint planning, negotiation, problem solving and goal seeking.

Often, children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders don’t “pick up” on these play skills naturally and may need to be taught these skills more directly! Some play skills we are going to be talking about in the upcoming weeks include sharing, turn taking, cooperative play, tolerating losing, and what play looks like for a child based on their age and developmental stage.

Get excited for February...it’s going to make you want to P-L-A-Y!