Benefits of Play | Adventure Park

Wildlands is, above all else, a place to forget the modern world, and to play. We believe children should be allowed to embrace their childhood with playtime and make-believe. Their curiosity drives them to learn important everyday practical skills from tying shoelaces to forging relationships, through discovery, accomplishment, confidence and playfulness. Let them invite you to be part of it and watch them blossom!

Childhood
If we think back to our happiest times in childhood, we remember moments of playing and discovery. This may be learning how to climb a tree, playing doctors and nurses, hide and seek, or simply building a pillow fort. We’re sure that recalling these memories instantly brought a smile to your face but what do these activities have in common? They each involve the ability to imagine a world and figure out how to create it, as well as the belief that you can make it happen.

“...above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because... those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” -Roald Dahl

Discovery
Don’t we marvel when we overhear children mimicking adult conversations? When we see them play at recreating scenes from what they have seen in their everyday lives or from stories they hear adults tell. By doing so, they are making sense of the world. They’re discovering piece by piece how to interact with people, how to solve problems, how to try things for themselves, how to think critically, how to set and respect boundaries. Children are forever collecting the actions and words of their world so they can learn how to be a part of it.

“Play is our brain’s favourite way of learning.” -Diane Ackerman

Accomplishment
The way a child’s face lights up when they finally build a sandcastle that doesn’t crumble or solve a puzzle is one of the greatest expressions of accomplishment. It comes without ego and instills a healthy feeling of self-confidence, something which ought to be guarded and treasured in today’s world. As adults, it is our responsibility to nurture a child’s self-belief and to encourage the maintenance of this as they grow.

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun." -Mary Lou Cook

Confidence
As children share ideas and opinions in play, they learn the confidence to speak for themselves and listen and empathise with others. These are key social skills for everyone and role-playing under the guise of a character allows them to test approaches and situations and see how they might result. This examination of perspectives is a harmless yet vital element in children’s emotional development.

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -A.A. Milne

Playfulness
Regular playful challenges create a well-rounded and holistic approach to life’s hurdles. This also applies to adults as we must remind ourselves to reconnect with our inner child. Playfulness increases feel-good hormones, flooding our system with positivity. It develops social skills and stimulates the mind, helping fight feelings of depression. In summary, nothing but good things come from being playful.

"The creative adult is the child who survived." -Ursula Leguin

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