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7 Ways Creative Play Benefits Your Children

Posted by Brian Semling on Nov 14th 2016

We’re all about Creative Play at Strictly Briks. We’ve already broken down what Creative Play is for you in a previous blog post, but if you missed out, Creative Play is when kids are using toys that inspire creative thinking and enhance imagination.

Creative Play is key to the development of your children and we want to help with that. There are endless amounts of reasons why your children should be engaging in Creative Play, but the crew over at 2nd Story Counseling has laid out 7 Creative Play Benefits For Your Children!

1. Creative Play provides a means to strengthen the ego

Creative play helps to allow children to formulate a better sense of identity through personal discovery. This sense of identity is sparked through the imagination.

2. Creative Play provides a cathartic experience

Creative play allows a child’s emotions to be released in healthy ways and helps to prevent immobilization. This working through of feelings promotes self-expression in ways that can increase personal self-esteem.

3. Creative Play provides a conduit to promote social skills

Creative play is often interactive in nature, allowing children to be with one another in ways that promote healthy group dynamics and problem solving. These skills can be later called upon in life as part of healthy socialization.

4. Creative Play facilitates impulse control

Creative play allows for freedom of expression, rather than repression, through positive behavior. This expression creates a mind body link that satiates curiosity about the world in ways that do not include acting out. Children who may have a diagnosis of ADHD may benefit from this type of play.

5. Creative Play offers an avenue to reduce toxic guilt

By engaging in creative play, a child is able to convey inner thoughts of past feelings and behavior associated with the guilt process. Once expressed in healthy ways, this guilt is released and is no longer depressing, affording the child room for feelings of happiness and self-worth.

6. Creative Play helps to heal past traumas

Creative play gives children the opportunity to work through past traumas and hurts in meaningful and healthy ways. This type of pretend play can also assist the child integrate the past into the here and now while building inner security and ultimately, resilience.

7. Creative Play uncovers hidden gifts

All of us have gifts but few of us are ever able to truly uncover them. Creative play allows for the natural identification and use of gifts, translated into skill building, as part of the imaginative play process. By knowing your child’s gifts, you are better able to nurture them and help them grow.

So there you are! If these sound benefits sound like something that would be helpful to the development of your children, then look into incorporating more creative play vehicles into your children’s play routine! We’re always striving to help you and your children find new ways to benefit from playtime so keep up with our blog and follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram for more ways you can engage in Creative Play!

Source: 2nd Story Counseling