by Michael Richards

Created on: August 24, 2009

One of the most important aspects of a toddler's life is play time. In play is where toddlers necessary life skills. They learn about imaginative thinking, social workings, as well as social hierarchies. They learn many skills through social play as well as solo play. It is also important for the parents' to observe their toddlers at play to keep a check on their social development.

Solo play enlightens a toddler's imagination. In playing by themselves, children are encouraged to pretend that there are other bodies involved whether they are toys or just someone in their imagination. Whether they are playing with cars or with stuffed animals, they are constantly coming up with new styles of play. It can be kind of scary for a parent to observe their children having a conversation with someone that is not there but it is a natural part of developing one's imagination.

Social play (cooperative as well as parallel play) is an important way of teaching toddler's about social workings. With proper discipline they will learn how to deal with conflict resolution. They learn that in general politeness leads to the same in return. Also they learn the basics of a bartering system, trading an item for another desired item. In sharing children learn to be socially cooperative with others also they learn about equality and fairness to all. Empathy of others is also learned while in the social atmosphere of other children. Rudimentary math skills are also introduced into social play by proper sharing and making sure each child has the same amount of any certain item.

Another benefit of a toddler's playtime is development of fine and gross motor skills. By putting pieces together or putting an object inside another object these skills are constantly improved upon.

Observing a toddler at play is important in gauging their social development. If your child is constantly jumping from one activity to another, that is an indication that they may have add/adhd. If your child is routine in his play and acts distressed if their routine is changed in any way it could be a sign of a social disorder such as autism. Also if your child, when put in a social situation chooses to sit out and play by themselves this could also be a sign of some type of social disorder. Anger issues can also be distinguished in social play situations.

Play time is a very important aspect of a toddler's life. Most of the life skills an adult uses were introduced as they were toddlers at play time. The simple act of allowing your child good playtime is essential in their development. Play time to a child is very much equal to work time to an adult.

Learn more about this author, Michael Richards.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.