Social play, which means having fun with other people, is important as we develop our brains. Maybe you and your friends like to build with Legos, play dress-up, do arts and crafts, or compete in sports or board games with each other. All of this is social play. Social play is not just fun and games – it is also very important for healthy brain development. Animal studies have shown that social play changes the amount of certain chemicals in the brain in a way that makes the brain stronger and healthier later in life. Likewise, in humans, social play has been shown to help children learn new things more easily throughout life. Kids learn many critical social and thinking skills while they play with friends. These skills include the ability to solve problems and the ability to speak clearly and understand what other people say, as well as improved reading and math skills. Just think of it, you are playing with friends AND setting up your brain for success!

License information: CC BY 4.0
MPAA: G
Go to source: https://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2016.00013