Today, Nutrition Day is celebrated in our country, and this year the message 'Eat well to age better' has been chosen. But we also celebrate a day that gives great importance to children's play, and their role in the development of children.
This is Game Day, an activity that is recognized as one of the fundamental rights of children around the world. Children should actually play daily, but if a meaningful date is set, it is for society to remember that playing encourages children's learning and self-esteem. It also favors cognitive, emotional and physical development ... Isn't it fantastic that something so pleasant brings so many benefits?However, the daily rhythm and the different activities that we program or impose on children throughout the day, prevent the game from having adequate spaces and times to develop, and that numerous studies indicate that playing is your favorite activity! (I wonder why we need these studies, when we can ask our children directly, and even remember when we were little).
It is sad to know that as children grow up they have fewer opportunities to playIn fact, from the age of nine, they have less than one hour a day. Can you imagine? They don't have 10 yet, and they don't even have 60 minutes to do their favorite activity. The study 'Adult perception of toys', carried out by the Toy Technology Center for the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers, most children play alone. I imagine that they will be only children, who live in places with few opportunities to interact, and with parents very busy with labor issues.
The role of adults is essential for encourage play among the little ones. Fathers and mothers know about the importance of the game as evidenced by the data collected by TIE (Toy Industries of Europe) in which 93% of parents believe that the game is essential for the child's development as something necessary to stimulate your senses, encourage your growth and enhance your creativity. They also think (64%) that Lack or inadequacy of play can negatively affect your children's ability to make friendsIt can affect self-confidence and may even have consequences on the communication skills of the little ones.
Despite this, the current work and pace of life prevent many parents from encouraging the game among the youngest, 27% believe that they do not play enough with their children due to work pressure and 39% would like to have a more flexible work schedule to play more
The game is essential for those who will one day be adults, so you have to celebrate Game Day, playing, becoming a child again. In Spain, initiatives such as those carried out by IPA (Interational Play Association) try to disseminate and promote compliance with the Right of the Child to Play, as does the Observatory of Children's Games, created by the Crecer Playing Foundation to follow up of the application of this right in our country.
Another of the initiatives that stand out is the campaign Give Time to the Game carried out by the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers that disseminates the image of the toy. On the web, we can also find game ideas to be able to play in different spaces and with different durations, we will also access a compilation of the latest news related to the game and toys, learn about the benefits of the game, etc. It is a website for parents and children, a place to explore and play together.
Do we celebrate Game Day?
