We are all aware that the game brings countless positive things to the little ones, and that is why it is a fundamental part of their development. But do we know who is the real cause of this happening? Well, the first thing to know is that there is no single person responsible for the happiness that play brings to children, since there are several chemical processes and hormones that come into play.
Do you want to know the protagonists of the happiness of your little ones?
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Substances that are activated during play in the brain
When children play outdoors, at school, at home … there is a revolution in the body of the little ones . It is as if the brain finds out that the fun is beginning and activates a series of mechanisms in order to thank the little ones for those extraordinary moments. Sounds nice, right? The brain sends the order to start up a series of hormones housed in it, in order to respond at a chemical level to the incredible stimuli generated by playing, developing creativity, friendship, good humor, physical exercise … in short, to have fun. But what are these hormones and what do they produce in the body?
- Dopamine In charge of activating our body and making it possible for our muscles to start up, as well as our ability to create and imagine.
- Acetylcholine. Responsible for our ability to reflect and concentrate , as well as our capacity for retention, which is fundamental in everything we learn in life.
- Serotonin In charge of reducing the body’s stress levels and improving our mood and our desire to eat the world.
- Endorphins. In charge of transmitting calm and peace so that our body and our neurons can enjoy more of everything we do.
Consequently, once we know the hormones that are activated during the game process and the functions they have in the body, we can know what are the most important benefits that it can bring to children, such as reducing their levels of stress and anxiety ; that the fundamental movement to end sedentary lifestyle and dangerous childhood obesity be strengthened; that the capacity to create, dream and imagine develops… We could almost guarantee that the benefits are infinite with only the work of four main hormones, which is extraordinary.
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Improve social relationships with other children
But play can contribute much more to children’s lives, such as learning to relate to other children, allowing relationships to be established, team dynamics, lifelong friendships … Children, despite their their own responsibilities, they should not lose the feeling of being children and of being so busy that they hardly have time to enjoy. In this sense, the many benefits of playing , and being able to be outdoors, are a good example of the significant and essential role that the fact of enjoying recreational activities and leisure time has in the small brain of children.
If the elderly become stressed and anguished by the lack of free time, imagine what the feeling of confinement, boredom or lack of leisure time can generate in the brain of children, still in development. And is that to understand that working and studying is important , it is necessary to know that there are other moments in life to enjoy, to be able to recover from obligations and less fun tasks. It is like an oxygen necessary for the brain to function properly and to recover from its most tedious activities. For this reason, when children take in that oxygen, the brain greatly appreciates it through a perfect chemical reaction responsible for relaxing the body and providing it with enjoyment.
In short, letting children play and enjoy themselves is vital, in short, for them to grow up happy and for them to have adequate physical and mental development. This way of developing, with their time for everything, will make them become adults capable of managing negative emotions, of distinguishing between work and leisure, and capable of fully enjoying their future families and friends.
