In addition to providing your child with hours of care-free fun, playing actually helps to stimulate their mental and physical growth in practical ways. For example, playing tag helps to build their endurance and strength as well as teaching them to think strategically. Play-Doh on the other hand helps to stimulate their imagination as well as improve their fine motor skills. Legos can help them to unconsciously learn to make plans to achieve their goals. Dolls can help to improve their emotional awareness and interactions with others.

Key Takeaways:

• Moving quickly and being able to shift direction with ease are gross motor skills your child develops by playing games, like tag.
• The seeds of fine motor skills that can allow your child to paint, draw, or write, begin with toys, like play doh.
• Besides the muscle control needed, Legos teaches kids to go after a structural goal and to see things in a creative way.

“Children explore their world and expand important developmental skills through play including language, communication, motor ability and emotional regulation.”

Read more: http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1135495/surprising-benefits-of-toys