Pediatricians Prescribe The Power Of Play

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

NEW YORK (CBSMiami) - A new report is recommending kids do something critical for healthy development - play.

Four-year-old Britton Taunton-Rigby received her yearly checkup. After her exam, her pediatrician wrote a prescription for something he says is important. It read "Play Every Day"

"Some people say play is a waste of time, well it's not a waste of time," said Dr. Michael Yogman.

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all pediatricians do the same, saying play with parents and peers is a critical part of healthy development, fundamental for learning life skills and reducing stress.

"Play is really brain building because it has all kinds of effects on brain structure and function," said Yogman. "Executive function skills, learning to persist on a task, learning to solve problems, of learning to be flexible about how they are learning things, it's how we learn, not what we learn."

Yogman authored the report which shows playtime has decreased significantly in the past 15 years while screen time has increased. And about 30 percent of kindergarten children don't go out for recess.

"There is a whole section of our report that talks about the importance of play in preschool settings and how important it is to find a balance of playful learning with the more traditional curriculum," said Yogman.

Play can also strengthen the relationship between parent and child. Researchers say there are many things parents can do to encourage play.

They recommend getting kids outside more to explore nature as well as introducing them to music, dance, and art.