Take any child who has been actively playing for an hour or two and you will see the true meaning of exhaustion. Playing is a form of exercise. Typical play involves running around, climbing on things, riding a bike, stomping in mud puddles, or chasing a pet. Yet, how many children who do spend an hour or two actively playing are pictures of health, both mentally and physically.
As with any adult, children need their exercise. Exercise helps keep a child fit. He or she will find they can sleep more easily, awaken feeling refreshed, score better on quizzes, and feel filled with energy. Play time as a child helps instill the foundations for a lifetime of healthy choices. A fit child is one who spends a good portion of his or her day actively doing something that involves movement. Not only does that exercise create a healthy body and a healthy mind, but it also teaches a child how to interact with both him or herself and others.
By playing together, children learn how to read another child's body language. They learn how to handle disagreements, resolve issues, and interact politely. These are all lessons that will last a lifetime. School settings are excellent for learning to play together, but some teachers interfere when a troublesome issue occurs. It is best to let children attempt to resolve these issues by themselves before adults interfere.
Organized sports are perhaps the most popular form of play in a child's life. Soccer, baseball, and flag football all help a child to stay in shape while also teaching important lessons from sharing to resolving anger to teamwork. All of these qualities will help shape a child into a polite, respectable adult. Another sport that is very popular with kids and adults alike is tennis. It is a sport that can be played from a very young age without being overly succeptible to injuries.
While it is tempting for an adult to set limits for a child, it is often best to let the child decide when enough is enough. If allowed to choose his or her capabilities from a young age, a child will often learn to set manageable limits. These choices last well into adulthood. The dangers of pushing him or her too hard are virtually eliminated.
In today's world, it is tempting to force a child to get chores done, finish homework, and clean his or her bedroom. School days are becoming longer and homework and chores are keeping children from having any time for play. This needs to stop!
Doctors and scientists are now finding that keeping a child from playtime is actually causing troublesome issues. They feel this may be part of the reason for the drastic rise in ADHD. Children need time to burn off their energy in free play with minimal interference from an adult.
Allow your child to play as desired. Also, within reason, allow your child to set his or her own limits. By allowing a child the freedom to choose, you are helping that child learn valuable skills that will last a lifetime.
There are several reasons that interactive play is important. You will be forming a bond each time you play with your cat. She will be able to become comfortable with you, other members of the family and the environment in which she lives. If there are other animals in the house it can help reduce the tension that is often experienced at first when a new kitten is brought home. Interactive play will teach your cat what is acceptable behavior and what is not. She will learn that biting and scratching is not looked upon favorably. She will also find out that damaging items in the home is frowned upon. This is where interactive play comes in and where cat toys are helpful.
One thing to remember from the very beginning is that your fingers do not make the best cat toys. While it may be tempting to use your fingers to play with your brand new kitten, this can lead to biting as the kitty grows up. This will hurt and you are sending the message that it is perfectly O.K. to bite skin.
There are all kinds of cat toys on the market and the first thing to consider when buying them is safety. Take a look at the toys and carefully examine them. Some toys are not well-made and will not be safe for your cat.
Look for toys that encourage the hunt. This is something that all cats enjoy. Cats like to stalk their prey and they use patience, precision and planning to execute every move. You do not want to simply dangle a toy in front of your cat. Move away from your cat with the toy and allow her to find it.
If you have more than one cat, each cat should have their own toys. They do not enjoy fighting over toys and this can lead to frustration on the part of everyone. You can give each cat individual play time or hold a fishing-type cat toy in each hand and try to simulate the stalking play experience as best you can without allowing the cats to get too close to each other.
A good place to get started in your pursuit of interactive cat toys is to look online. You will have many choices of toys and you can find descriptions of the toys.
Cats love to play and it is a healthy part of a daily routine.
Both Gregg Hall & Dustin Cannon are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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