The rise in childhood mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression may be linked to the decline in opportunities to play, explore, and engage in activities independent of parental control and oversight.
By the age of two, most children are able to embark on pretend play and adopt a perspective that does not fit reality. This enables children to develop the ability to attribute perspective to others that they don't share. Findings suggest the ability to adopt perspectives, an important aspect of developing social cognition and the attribution of mental state, is already present in young children.
When it comes to pretend play, infants perform interactional patterns with elements of pretense a lot earlier than previously believed. Researchers say pretend play should be considered an interpersonal feature of cognitive development, and not an end product.
Adventurous play, especially when conducted outdoors, was associated with reduced anxiety and depression in children.
The combination of physical activity and social interactions children experience during recess helps reduce stress and improve focus back in the classroom.
Study reports play-based learning may positively impact a young child's acquisition of math skills compared to direct teaching.
Researchers say letting infants play with everyday items within their environment can help them learn and develop.
A newly developed play therapy platform is helping older adults with dementia improve a range of flagging cognitive skills from concentration to memory.
Playing with dolls as a small child helps develop social skills and empathy. Doll play activates the posterior superior temporal sulcus, an area of the brain associated with social processing and behaviors.
Researchers detect measurable similarities in brain activity between babies and adults during play.
Toddlers who had more exposure to other children were better at associating new words to objects than those who had more exposure to adults alone.
A new study reveals birds can learn how to use objects to solve tasks by first playing with them.
