Let's PLAY ALL MAY with The Genius of Play

What would you like to play today? During the entire month of May, we're geared up to "Play All May" in honor of the very "first-ever month-long celebration of play"!  The Genius of Play is a non-profit initiative, raising awareness of the importance of quality play in child development. This unprecedented celebration supports The Genius of Play's mission of "educating families about the benefits of play, helping parents understand how a "prescription for play" supports children, and encouraging a healthy dose of play alongside other activities". It's all fun and games for little people and their responsible big people for The Genius of Play month! Let's Play All May with The Genius of Play!

Let's PLAY ALL MAY with The Genius of Play

"The benefits of play are proven by decades of research and supported by leading child development experts," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association, the group that spearheads The Genius of Play. "Despite that, today's children are under more pressure and stress than ever, juggling full schedules with school and extracurricular activities, leaving no unstructured downtime for them to just be kids. This play deficit is a real issue, which is why The Genius of Play is dedicating an entire month to encouraging families to make time for play."

The Genius of Play Gives You 5 Reasons to Celebrate Play!

Reason #1  Getting kids to play is absolutely critical to their healthy development! See the facts.

Reason #2  Overly-structured schedules, increased focus on academics, and the growing amount of screen time have led to the decline in play.

Reason #3  Through play, kids acquire 6 critical skills they need for success in school and in life.

Reason #4  Play brings families and generations together and reduces stress for everyone.

Reason #5  Play is FUN! And where there is play, there is also LEARNING!

With so many reasons to celebrate play, it is no wonder the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends pediatricians to write kids a “prescription for play.”

Did you know that according to a recent clinical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), play is fundamentally important for child development? Play facilitates the emergence of 21st century skills, including social, emotional, language, and cognitive skills. The AAP recommends play for children to help reduce stress, strengthen family relationships, as well as improving executive functioning.

Throughout the month of May, we will be joining The Genius of Play sharing and engaging play activities for every day of the month. We'll keep the #PlayAllMay conversation and the celebration going with important play facts, and other play-related info. Follow along during "Play All May" to enter daily giveaways, and more information about The Genius of Play and healthy play habits for kids at TheGeniusofPlay.org.

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