The Importance of Play in Early Childhood

Play provides the all-important building blocks for your little one’s development – bring more play into their everyday, and watch their skills soar!

Did you know that 90% of a child’s brain develops before the age of five? That’s a big ol’ chunk of brain! It probably comes as no surprise then, that play aids so much of that early development – especially between the ages of one and five. In fact, it’s scientifically proven that play helps kids learn new life skills to take with them into future life.

Which is music to our ears because, well… kids love to play! From babies playing with food in their highchair and toddlers making mud pies in the garden to preschoolers role-playing with toys, children learn something new through play every day.

Here at the LEGO Group, we take play very seriously and realize how fundamental it is for skill-building in kids. That’s why we introduced Learning Through Play, to help children subconsciously train those important life skills through their early years – and have fun in the process!

Ready, set, go!

Why is play important?

We all want the little ones in our lives to hit those all-important milestones, like taking their first steps, saying their first word, standing up by themselves – the big ‘aww’ moments that make us feel so proud! But did you know that play can help train children’s IQ and EQ skills (don’t worry, we’ll explain these in a minute!) to reach these developmental milestones faster?

What are IQ skills?

IQ skills are associated with the mind, also known as logical thinking. IQ skills can be anything from cognitive and physical to creative development in your child, so it covers a few bases. But in a nutshell, it’s when your kid starts to realize stuff! We like to call them ‘lightbulb moments’, and we’ll go through some examples later.

What are EQ skills?

EQ skills, on the other hand, are all about the heart – they support emotional development in the early years. Peace and love, people! Social and emotional skills can help your child express and understand themselves (as well as others) better. These skills ready them for childcare settings and social interactions.

As you can guess, both IQ and EQ skills are super important in a child’s early development. And guess what? Play can train both.

Developing IQ skills through play: cognitive, physical and creative!

Cognitive skills

Picture this. You look at your baby and you stick your tongue out. To your surprise, they copy you and do it right back! This is an example of a cognitive skill.

Cognitive development is about how children think for themselves and start to figure things out. For example, understanding colors, recognizing animals or mimicking someone (not always a good thing, *sticks tongue out again*).

Top tip: toys and activities can aid development! Introducing them to playtime can help train vital cognitive skills. This could be in the form of a problem-solving game, like stacking bricks in the correct order, or exploring the garden for creepy crawlies!

Cognitive skills you can try bringing into your little one’s playtime:

• Observe and imitate
• Match and sort
• Play out memories
• Learn to predict
• Learn to compare
• Problem-solving
• Spatial awareness
• Play out routines

Physical skills

It should come as no surprise that kids like to move and love to get messy! As tempting as it is to try and keep them spotless (step AWAY from the glue stick!), this kind of play is vital for developing fine motor skills, which require a coordinated effort between brain and muscles.

Little ones rely on these skills to perform key physical tasks, like building, pulling apart and picking up LEGO® DUPLO® bricks, or using their finger to point to something, like the airplane in the sky.

Top tip: help train sensory motor skills and hand-eye coordination by introducing toys to bath time! (P.S. here’s why toddlers love bath time so much!).

Creative skills

As we know, kids have BIG imaginations. Playing make-believe and creating imaginary worlds or scenarios are great examples of creative skills! As preschoolers get a bit older, they become more curious and imaginative and start to use their creative minds.

Top tip: get more imaginative play in! Toys that include characters are great for role-play, so kids can re-create what’s in front of them. Try our LEGO DUPLO Peppa Pig sets!

Developing EQ skills through play: social and emotional!

Social skills

Got a social butterfly on your hands, or perhaps more of a wallflower? Social skills become more important as kids start to interact with one another. Play helps kids build relationships, communicate with each other and learn to play well together.

A simple way to nurture little ones’ social skills is by getting involved in playtime yourself, communicating with them as you play. We know playing doesn’t come so easily once you’re a grown-up, but don’t worry! Our fun guide on re-learning the art of playing will help you get more play into your family’s lives – and hey, you might enjoy it, too!

Top tip: organize a regular LEGO DUPLO playdate to introduce your little one to collaborative play at an early age!

Emotional skills

At two years old, children can start expressing their feelings. Isn’t that amazing? They’ll also begin to understand themselves better and learn to manage their own emotions. Yep, they’re becoming proper little humans!

For example, toddlers may feel frustrated and sad when they can’t do something. But within minutes, they try again and succeed! They’re becoming more aware of their strengths and weaknesses and understand how it feels to accomplish something. As grown-ups, we can validate our child’s feelings when they express them, and help them to articulate them when needed.

At this age, kids also start to feel empathy for the first time, strengthening this skill as they get older. You can help nurture this skill at home by reading books to them about characters with emotions.

Top tip: our LEGO DUPLO Big Feelings & Emotions set is great for teaching little ones about feelings in a visual way!

Emotional skills you can try bringing into kids’ playtime:

• Understanding feelings
• Caring for nature
• Caring for others
• Managing emotions
• Keep trying
• Learning to focus
• Learning to take turns

Stages of play

Now let’s talk about the ‘less talked about’. As parents and caregivers, we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get things right – and this is when anxiety can sneak in. According to Statista, 1 in 4 parents worry that their child isn’t meeting milestones. But we want to tell you you’re doing a great job! Kids reach milestones in their own perfect time, and in their own perfect way.

And play is no different! There are six stages of play, and kids all pass through them at different times. After all, every child is wonderfully unique, so why wouldn’t their playing be? Read all about the 6 different stages of play here.

Play with purpose!

It’s no exaggeration to say that play is like rocket fuel in those early years! You can help your child to build on all the essential skills mentioned above by playing with them, setting them activities and introducing toys that aid development. In fact, 43% of parents have become more thankful for/reliant on toys and play as a learning resource, according to The Toy Association Survey.

And our LEGO DUPLO sets have you covered – they’re specially developed, and based on scientific research, to help train EQ and IQ skills in the early years and tailored to your child’s age or developmental stage.

For example, our blue sets have been designed to aid Logical Thinking (IQ) and Expressing Yourself (EQ). Our green sets, on the other hand, are all about Creative Solutions (IQ) and Learning Patience (EQ). Just look for the colors on the box!

With more play, you can help your little one start off BIG by putting the fun into learning, right from the start!