Your child is now a complete expert on the world around them. While your child is still learning boundless things about life, and themselves, as they play, they no longer play in the quest of discovery, but rather for the sole purpose of having fun. Even as that may be, playing still plays a significant role in how a young child learns and develops certain skills.
Between the ages of 5 and 8 years, your child will be confident playing interactively with others (co-operative play). Playing with other children assists with your child’s social development, and builds vital life skills such as sharing, co-operating and feeling empathy.
Playing with your child becomes significantly more complex at this age. It starts to become more about physical experiences that naturally stimulate their imagination, and in turn, aid intellectual development.
Your child will most likely enjoy interactive playing with complex toys that incorporate various elements, they will enjoy sport games, and other physical activities, such as bike riding. Your child might start to show interest in specific types of educational play; like cooking, learning a musical instrument, gardening or creating artwork. Your child might like to play with ‘video games’ and other technical toys. While they can aid your child’s development exponentially, you shouldn’t rely on screen type games solely as a source of play for your child. Encourage your child to participate in various different types of play as they continue to grow.
The school age years of a person’s life are a highly concentrated period of learning and development. Children learn by growing, watching, and experiencing the world and people around them, as well as in a more structured environment. You should talk both to, and with, your child often about what and how they are learning. It is recommended to read aloud with children, as this helps them to expand upon their own language and conversational skills. Reading together with your child also encourages them in developing their own reading, literacy and comprehension.
raisingchildren.net.au. (2020, April 3). Imagining, creating and play: school-age children. Retrieved from https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/play-media-technology/play-school-age-development/imagining-play-school-children