Children and Physical Play

Physical play includes activities that use physical movements to allow children to use their energy, giving children the chance to develop gross and fine motor skills, learn new things and socialize. Physical play also benefits a child’s health and understanding the importance of physical play is vital to your child’s development.

Ideal physical play incorporates play with social interactions and problem solving. Physical play provides various health benefits. It promotes early brain development and learning in infants and young children and decreases the risk of developing health conditions like coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity and many other chronic health conditions.

Most children naturally develop the ability to run and walk. However, they require practice and instruction to develop hopping, galloping, sliding, catching, jumping, throwing, kicking, bouncing and striking skills. Children incorporate these skills into sports, games and dance. 

Playgrounds are perfect places for a child to develop mental connections, socialize and develop fine and gross motor skills mentioned before.

Although those who are parents now may have spent spent most of their childhood riding their bikes and playing games like baseball or football on side streets, many children today spend much of their time indoors, playing games on their tablets or watching television. Research has found that unstructured outdoor play is critical to the health of children. However, many have experienced a marked decline in the time they spend in free play.

Parytrap's Summer Club holds strong to the importance of physical play. It not only offers structured outdoor games but also opportunities for the children to explore and have fun in the sunshine of the great outdoors.


Written by Margaret Said, Partytrap Summer Club Coordinator