5 Soft Skills Kids Develop Through Park Play

Author: Austin Stanfel

As we know, playing outside has many health benefits for our bodies. When we move and jump, it strengthens our muscles and bones, making them stronger and less likely to sprain or fracture. A park is a great place that you can consider allowing your children to play because of all the health benefits that they will gain. However, did you know that allowing your kids to play at a park allows them to gain soft skills as well? Soft skills allow our children to interact and socialize with other children (and adults) well. So what are the top five soft skills that our children can develop while playing in the park?

Self-Confidence is Key:

It was Marcus Mosiah Garvey who said that if you haven’t confidence in yourself, you are twice defeated in the race of life. This is a critical point that shows the significance that self-confidence has in how we approach life and what we get in return. Self-confidence can be boosted when playing with other children in groups. This is especially true if your child is the elected leader. He or she will be able to adopt an air of confidence as they approach different play situations.

Develop Leadership Skills:

Using the same example used in the previous tip, if your child is elected as leader in a particular group, and is tasked with leading that group to a certain goal, then your child will start to develop his or her leadership qualities. Great leadership skills entail making decisions quickly, excellent organizational skills, having a vision, and mapping out a plan to achieve that vision. These are all qualities that your child can gain while playing as the leader of his or her play friends.

Great Communication Skills:

This goes without saying. Playing with others allow your young ones to develop excellent communication skills. Communication skills that entail bringing across their point effectively, addressing social disputes appropriately, and actively listening to the opinions and views of their fellow friends. This allows your child to grow up with a vital skill that is, even now, missing in many adults.

Positive Attitude:

Having a positive outlook on life is a necessary skill that is needed, especially in adulthood. Your child, who is developing a positive outlook through play, is more likely to be optimistic about the future. And when life knocks them down, they are more likely to brush off the dirt and get right up again. These types of children are most likely to become entrepreneurs because they can acknowledge that anything is possible, so they are expected to take on more risks.

Problem Solving Skills:

When children are faced with many obstacles throughout playing, they are required to use their cognitive skills to know how best to address that issue. In doing so, they are more able to solve puzzles and problems, especially during school. This will reflect positively in the grades that they receive.

Soft skills are just as required as other skills, especially in the workforce. Children with exceptional soft skills are more likely to grow into adults who will take over the world. It is crucial that as parents, we guide our children to become the best that they can be. And one way that we can do that is to allow them to play at the park.