Why play for values?

Countless studies have proven that children playing together is critical for the development of their social skills. Ensuring children develop core skills such as empathy, trust and respect for others help them to grow into happy, healthy and well-rounded adults.

Examples of play for values

• Pretend play: Play allows children to use their full imaginations. They can step into the shoes of others and see the world through a different lens.
• Co-op play: When children play together or even just share the same play space, they have to cooperate and compromise.
• Competitive play: Taking part in competitive play, such as team sports, can help children to develop their awareness, acceptance and coping skills.
• Nature play: As well as being great fun, by playing outside in nature children can develop respect for other living things.

Values through play

Children can develop many different values through play:

• Honesty
• Fairness
• Respect
• Empathy
• Cooperation
• Trust
• Compromise