Why should children play? Simply because play is the work of childhood. Play helps children learn better, retain learning and enjoy the process. Play teaches children to reason, use logic, plan, work with others, sometimes lead, sometimes follow, to win or lose and to shake hands and make up after a contest.

It’s important that children play with appropriate toys and have the option of indoor and outdoor play. Use of battery toys, computer games and video games should not qualify as play as they are harmful in several ways.

1. Such toys set the agenda for a child. It’s not the child thinking or working out what to do next; it’s the toy that decides.

2. They tend to reduce social interaction and make children anti-social.

3. Reduced social interaction impairs the development of communication skills.

4. Such toys/games can be very addictive.

5. They could cause obesity, eye and other health problems.

Children have everything to gain when you give them the gift of play. Depriving children of play opportunities could have negative consequences — depression, aggression and hostility.

(Source: Early Childhood Association of India)