From How To Play, Children's Interests And Talents Can Be Known

JAKARTA - Every parent wants to support the interests and talents of their children to develop optimally. Before providing support, the first step that must be done is to know the interests of the child.

This can be known by observing the baby while playing freely at will without fixed rules.

"When it comes to passion and talent, it's easiest to learn from playing compared to chatting, especially when the child is young," said psychologist Putu Andani as quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, July 17.

Effective play sessions can encourage imagination and creativity, promote social and emotional development, improve language and communication skills, develop thinking, learning, problem solving, and can enhance physical development.

When children play and feel safe and comfortable, they can channel various emotions, as well as the ideas that are in their heads. Their creativity will flow freely, especially if parents apply "free play", namely the concept of playing where the child is in control. Parents should refrain from giving directions or instructions.

For example, the child chooses to assemble a car. Refrain from commenting when you see a child build a car with only three wheels instead of four like a normal car. Wait and see what ideas are running through their heads.

If the idea is refuted, it is feared that the ideas that have been thought by the child will evaporate. By watching how children play when they are released, parents can learn to understand where their child's interests and talents are headed.

Free play should be scheduled every day, at least 20-30 minutes per day. Find the right time when parents are freer to devote their attention to children, when other workloads feel lighter.

If you don't have time every day, parents can start with a schedule several times a week. If possible, parents really focus on interacting with their children, and keep away from gadgets even though the goal is to capture the moment.

"Free play is a special time, so that children understand this is their special time, special is their center. In that case, gadgets should not be the center of our attention. Content can be at another time, when the special time, gadgets are off first," she said.

In addition to free play, role play aka role-playing like with dolls is also one of the important types of games to support children's growth and development.

Through role-playing, children can express their emotions, including trying roles that they have never been able to feel. In everyday life, children often have to follow the rules that have been set by their parents. When playing a role, children can try to be different figures, for example being a teacher, while parents act as students.

"According to research, children who are often exposed to imaginative play show better emotional regulation and decreased anger expression. Imaginative play is very good for physical development, emotion, and mental health," she explained.

Another thing that is not less important is that both parents must take time to play with their children, either together or individually. Both fathers and mothers should have special time with their children.

"Because there may be things that children want to convey to one of them," she said.

By spending special time with father or mother, children can learn about the masculine and feminine sides of humans which will later affect the child.

"Children still need influence from both sides, girls learn from their fathers, it is also important for boys to learn from their mothers. There are many skills that need to be passed on, including cooking which is not a feminine skill, but a life skill."