I know as an adult I often hear that ‘bossy kids’ make good leaders when they grow up!
But, do playful kids make good team leaders as adults?
Richard Branson posted a Virgin blog written by Hazel Davis which I found to be very interesting titled: Mess around, make people laugh and think better says ideas expert!
Why is it important to include playtime in our lives and just have plain good fun making others laugh?
Hazel Davis contributor to Virgin blog talks about how John Ingledew author of How To Have Great Ideas. cause a big reaction when good ideas are encountered.
“Instead, we should embrace our inner child and play around with ideas if we want to be really creative. We were all incredibly creative as school kids in the playground, inventing games with the things that happened to be at hand.” “A stick could be so many things then: a lightsaber, goal post, a knight’s sword, a cricket bat, anything.” John goes on to say, “As adults, we lose this way of thinking. “
“Be playful to discover new ideas, be playful with objects, materials and language and ideas will always present themselves.” Playing is a natural and enjoyable way for children to keep active, stay well and be happy.
Freely chosen play helps children and young people’s healthy development even into adulthood. “To have good physical and mental health and to learn life skills, they need various unstructured play opportunities from birth until their teenagers.”
Do you believe when children have fun playing are also fun team leaders and/or fun team players or as entrepreneurs?
Here are some reasons why the playful time for kids is important:
Freely chosen play
Freely chosen play is when a child decides and controls their play following their own instincts, imagination, and interests. They play without being led by adults. There’s no right or wrong way to play. Freely chosen play improves children’s health, well-being, and development.
Why play is important
Play improves the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and young people. Through play, children learn about the world and themselves. They also learn skills they need for study, work and relationships such as:
- confidence
self-esteem
resilience
interaction
social skills
independence
curiosity
coping with challenging situations
Developing physical health through play
Physical play such as running, skipping and riding a bicycle helps children develop:
- good physical fitness
agility
stamina
co-ordination
balance
Developing social skills through play - Playing can help children develop their social skills with others. By listening, paying attention and sharing play experiences, this helps a child:
- explore their feelings
develop self-discipline
learn how to express themselves
work out emotional aspects of life
Playful parenting
Through play, parents can connect fully with their children and have fun. A parent or carer can support and take part in their child’s play activities but they shouldn’t direct what happens. It’s important they give their children time, freedom and choice to play. If an adult makes all the decisions about how, what and when their child plays, the child won’t enjoy their play experiences.
Play and challenge
Children often want to create challenge and uncertainty in their play. Through risky, challenging play, children test themselves and find out their own limits. They learn how to deal with risk through play and can use these same skills later in life.
Parents should encourage their children from birth to extend themselves. Teach them basic skills including:
- riding a bicycle
swimming
road safety
Explain that it’s important to learn from mistakes, to try again and to believe in themselves. Help them understand their limits and boundaries. Allow them to have fun in their play.
Play and digital technology
To make sure children have time for unstructured, freely chosen play every day, parents should limit screen time. The younger the child, the less time they should be using digital devices.
Keep certain times and areas in the home technology-free zones such as:
- meals
when outdoors
before bed
bedrooms
Don’t use digital devices to distract your children or keep them quiet. Talk to your children, play games or look & read at a book together. Join in your children’s screen time and talk about their online activity.