Role of parents in child’s play

Image.17. Parent playig with kids repersentational image

Studies show that parents- whether working or stay-at-home, experience guilt about not spending enough time with their children. Research suggests that parental guilt about how much time is spent with their children may be displaced. It is the emotional connection that parents have with their children that counts. It is the quality and not the quantity of time that makes the children thrive.

Between the ages of two and four, the child is undergoing the Spectator and Parallel play stages, which means, that the child needs the same age peers around him/her. A child tends to imitate what others around him/her are doing, parental participation can be an efficient source of learning. Parents are also the primary facilitators for the child, their choices in buying toys and other materials heavily influence the childs development.

Ways in which parents can participate in child play:

Interaction and stimulation with kids - Parents can interact with the child during the play by following the activities children do, they should not lead the child. Encouraging the child to play is also helpful for their development and makes them feel gratified for playing.

Spousal interaction - Children observe spousal interaction and how arguments are settled in the family. It teaches them a variety of good values that are imbibed and crucial to growing up. The child learns how to behave with others, playing to a common goal, team spirit, picking right friends and a lot more.

Setting daily routine - Children learn about being healthy, exercising regularly, having the right diet and growing in a conducive environment through the play and learn way. The right guidance from parents can inculcate in children a good regimen of exercise and diet to achieve ideal physical development. Planning for regular active play can help.

Offering active choices - Children have a low attention span and they like to explore various things. The child should have choices to engage themselves in a wide variety of mediums, and the parents should be able to identify.

Be informed about the childs changing play needs - With growth every child likes to play different things, their needs change with their changing abilities. To identify these changes the parents need to understand the cues, being observable and little research can be beneficial for the kids.

Toy purchase influencers:

The toy market has been influenced by the increased intention to buy online and the use of electronic products, change in distribution channels as a majority of organizations rely on the use of the Internet, rapid product turnover, short life cycle and seasonal demand. [7] A study was conducted in October 2018 to understand these factors. For this study, parents of four different age groups were selected:

Group 1: Parents <22 years Group 2: Parents between 22-30 years Group 3: Parents between 31-40 years Group 4: Parents >40 years

It was observed that approximately 47% of the parents who bought toys were between the age group of 22-30 years. This meant that people who bought toy products are young and care about ensuring that their children gain benefits from using toy products. Also , about 78% of the study sample were educated and had university degrees. This meant that educated parents are aware of the benefits of buying toy products that helped in building the child’s personality. The study, in addition to that, also revealed the factors that these parents considered when buying toys.

1. Purpose- Safety, durability, length of time that the child plays with it. Between the ages of two and four, the child is learning through exploration, imitation as well as parental participation. 37

2.Emotional- Aesthetics/Visual attractiveness to child and parent

3.Educational- Encouraging exploration and problem solving, sparking the imagination, encouraging activity instead of static games, cross-generational participation.

4. 5. 6. Cost-Related Children Demographic- Age, sex Parent Demographic- Age, sex, income level, education level.