Around 26% of Americans will suffer from a mental health disorder during their lifetimes.
Although some mental illness is down to our biology, a lot of it is also affected by our environment and experiences. So, if you have children and want to protect them from the difficulties of mental health problems, you may be able to help during their early childhood development.
Playing games with your kids can have exponential mental health benefits for them as children and well into their adulthood. Beyond good hand-eye coordination from throwing a ball back and forth, playing with your kid could transform their mental health.
Read on to learn why you need to play games with your kids.
Family Bonding
The first undeniable benefit of family game time is bonding. The 21st-century lifestyle is filled with solitary activities such as gaming and scrolling on an iPad. Even watching TV together as a family doesn’t do much for bringing you together as a team.
Playing games together helps you appreciate each other’s skills and provides hours of healthy fun. A well-bonded family makes for a happier, more self-aware, and vibrant young person, so there are benefits all around.
Check out some creative summer games, and why not choose one to play each evening after dinner?
Enhanced Emotional Awareness
A big part of cognitive development in the early years is learning to be emotionally aware. Unfortunately, online gaming doesn’t arm us with this skill.
Playing games with your kid is the best way to teach them to handle their emotions – it’s a free pass to beat them and watch them learn to be good losers! The odd tantrum isn’t to be scorned; they’re learning the best they can.
When they do beat you, watch them rejoice and teach them how to be a good winner!
Increased Confidence
Increased confidence is a massive benefit to both physical and mental health for kids and adults alike. Games help children learn to strive to be better (stronger, quicker, wittier) in all aspects of play.
As they learn techniques for beating you at games, it’ll enhance their confidence that they can apply to other areas of their lives. They’ll get a kick out of beating their parents, so make sure to let them win once in a while!
The Mental Health Benefits of Playing Games
There you have it, a conclusive argument that it’s time to put down the TV remote and start playing with your kids! Not only is it a fun way to spend the day, but the mental health benefits for your child are also undeniable.
Playing games is the way forward if you want them to grow into a happy, secure, confident young adult! So, get to the games cupboard and get your kid involved today.
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