Do your children have fun? Do you know what actually involves having fun? Having fun implies enjoying, laughing, being entertained, and, in short, experiencing and enjoying pleasant and pleasant emotions.
Children can have fun in many ways, and as parents, we can promote this phenomenon to promote a happy and fun childhood.
But how do we do it and why is fun important for its development? As we will see, the game is a key strategy to promote fun, although not the only one.
Why is it important for children to have fun?
If we want our children to grow up happy , it is important that we help them experience pleasant and pleasurable emotions (without forgetting to accompany them when managing less pleasant emotions).
In general, children have fun by nature, from their innocence and their openness to the world, their curiosity and their desire to know, discover, experiment, play…
However, although having fun is something quite instinctive and natural in childhood, fun can also be encouraged in different ways, as we will see throughout the article. But first, why is it so important that children have fun? What are some of its benefits?
They enjoy pleasant and pleasurable emotions
Having fun is defined as the phenomenon of spending time in a joyful and entertaining way . That is, it is an action that provides pleasant emotions, such as joy or pleasure. And that your child enjoys and is happy will always be positive for him.
endorphins are released
When children enjoy themselves, they release endorphins, which are natural substances that the brain synthesizes and that are pleasant and rewarding. In addition, these substances also have other positive effects for the mind and body, since they relieve pain.
Motivation and learning are stimulated
An activity or a fun context is ideal to stimulate processes such as learning (practically, about anything). And it is that children who have fun learn better.
In addition, a fun context is also ideal for exploring children’s motivations , their interests, aspirations… and all of this is useful information for them to continue having fun and learning (based on their interests and motivations to facilitate their learning).
Fun can boost self-esteem
Fun itself does not automatically improve self-esteem, although it does create a fun environment, activity or situation , which can be a good opportunity to work on the self-esteem of the little ones.
For example, through fun games designed to strengthen it.
Promotes self-knowledge
In turn, creating fun situations or activities allows you to work on other aspects of the child’s development, such as their self-knowledge.
Beyond being able to create specific (and fun) activities for them to get to know each other, the truth is that children, as they have fun, also get to know themselves (it is something inherent to the activity itself). Why?
Because they have the opportunity to identify (and choose) what makes them laugh and what doesn’t, that is, what environmental stimuli generate fun and what doesn’t, what people they have a good time with, what friends they prefer to share their time with, etc.
Gives them self-confidence
As we are seeing, fun itself is beneficial , but not only because of what it implies per se , but also, it is something that entails other benefits, partly because of the way of obtaining that fun (for example, playing).
Thus, certain games or activities can promote self-confidence in your children, since it allows them to feel safe in certain spaces and discover how they can feed those feelings of gratification. And this, in turn, makes them self-confident.
Stimulates other facets or abilities, such as creativity or imagination
Think about it: in a fun context, it is easier for children to develop other facets or skills , because they will feel more comfortable, safe, enthusiastic… and in this favorable climate, it is easy for them to be themselves, therefore, authenticity is favored.
And in that authenticity their most intrinsic and personal traits are born and stimulated; Thus, fun is also an ideal context to bring out certain skills or traits such as creativity, imagination and curiosity, for example.
How to encourage fun in children?
There are many ways to encourage fun in children. We can start with the way to approach the small tasks of everyday life (whether they are responsibilities, homework, playtime…).
The key is to present them with humor, making jokes and being flexible. On the other hand, we can also opt for two key tools: games and individual or family activities. We give you ideas!
fun through play
The game is a very good option when it comes to encouraging fun in the little ones. And it is that it is a tool that can entertain them and make them enjoy a lot , while educating and teaching them, that is, with which they can enjoy without stopping learning.
It is also an activity that can promote family plans and foster a good relationship between siblings, for example.
In addition, the game has other inherent benefits for the development of children. Thus, depending on the type of game, it can teach them to:
- Respect the rules.
- Tolerate frustration.
- Develop patience.
- Develop empathy and the ability to resolve conflicts.
- Develop psychomotor and/or motor skills, such as dexterity.
- Develop cognitive skills, such as attention.
- Develop emotional skills (management of emotions).
Have fun through individual or family activities
There are multiple activities, beyond the game, that can be carried out to promote fun in the little ones. These can be family or individual .
Remember that in the end, the “what” (the activity itself) is not as important as the “how” (how it is proposed, prepared, carried out, etc.). Some ideas of activities for your children to indulge and have fun are:
- Make a route through the countryside, hiking, excursions…
- Watering plants.
- Play sports (for example, go skating!).
- Guided children’s visits in museums.
- To cook.
- Draw.
- Children’s shows and exhibitions.
- Play as a family .
- Play boardgames.
- Perform small improvised plays at home.
- Watch a movie.
- Crafts.
- Create a photo album together or look at it.
- Dance, play music.
And you, do you think that having fun during childhood is important? Why or for what? Do you favor spaces and activities to stimulate fun in your children? How do you do it?
Photos | Cover (pexels), Image 1 (pexels), Image 2 (pexels), Image 3 (pexels)
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