Why is physical activity and active play important to children and young people?
Active play is an important part of children’s culture and should be valued for its own sake, but it’s also vital to their development of learning, creativity and independence. Play keeps children healthy and active, and also fosters socialisation and social skills. It can also be therapeutic, helping them to cope with difficult and stressful situations. Play offers children and young people the opportunity to: • make sense of their experiences • develop autonomy and learn to make choices • learn to communicate and negotiate with others • develop problem-solving and decision-making skills • develop and extend their physical and intellectual abilities • experiment with who they are and define who they want to be • develop healthy, active lifestyles. Play takes many forms and offers many benefits. In this context we are primarily concerned with the contribution that active play can make to developing a more healthy lifestyle. Energy in, energy out A key message to get across to the child
