Do you ever think back to the times you’d hide in a pointy bush, holding your breath and praying nobody would look your way?
Playing hide and seek isn’t just fun — games like it are a vital part of the toolbox that contributes to a child’s development in their early years. This age-old classic encourages problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity. In addition, it helps to promote important life skills such as communication and teamwork.
The Many Benefits of Playing Hide and Seek
Staying hidden involves two things. The first is finding a good hiding spot — which itself requires a child to put themselves in another’s shoes.
The second is impulse control. Children who are hiding need to bite their tongues and keep themselves still and their silhouettes small to avoid detection. This helps them to think before they giggle, call out, or shuffle around.
Thinking Under Pressure
An often overlooked benefit of games like hide and seek is the pressure it puts on children to think and act fast. When another child starts counting, the rest scatter and have to find a place to remain out of sight.
Those precious seconds, during which the child who’s “it” counts audibly, force children to form a plan and act on it while under immense time pressure. There’s a tangible fear of failure and a consequence for failure. Learning to make quick decisions helps children learn to make good use of time and resources.
Problem-Solving Skills
Young children who regularly delve into these sorts of cognitive-boosting group games turn into critical thinkers as they age.
How does hide-and-seek factor in?
It tests children’s problem-solving skills both when they’re hiding, and when they’re “it” and looking for others. Whoever is “it” has to think critically and create an actionable plan on the fly: where to search, where they’ve been, and where the other children are most likely to hide.
Playing hide and seek also helps children to build their self-confidence. As they hide and successfully remain undetected, they develop a sense of pride and accomplishment.
Organization
Hide-and-seek is one of those educational games that teaches children to play and coordinate together. It’s a game that’s somewhere between the rigid rules of a board game or sport and the total freedom of unstructured play.
Collectively, children decide and abide by the rules they lay out for themselves. How long to count for, where it’s permissible to hide, and who starts as “it” are all factors each child can negotiate. All are factors that boost organizational and diplomatic skills while children have fun.
Furthermore, the game of hide and seek helps children to develop empathy and understanding of others. It fosters friendship and promotes positive social interactions between players. Through engaging in this game, children learn the importance of being respectful, patient, and considerate towards others.
Health and Exercise
Sensory play experiences are crucial to a young child’s development. The most obvious benefit of any form of physical play is an exercise that engages the senses. Hide-and-seek forces children to listen for subtle signs and interact with their surroundings gently.
Children in the world of today get less exercise than ever before – the ubiquity of screens and digital media has seen to that. Running around, hiding, and cooperating with other children offers sensory experiences that digital entertainment simply can’t match.
Don’t Miss Out
Playing hide and seek as a young child is a cherished memory for many of us – and it’s something the next generation can’t afford to miss. It’s too important for their formative development.
Playing hide and seek is not only an enjoyable activity but also an educational one. It stimulates cognitive growth, social skills, and emotional development, while encouraging children to develop their self-esteem, communication, and teamwork skills. It’s an ideal game to play with children and an excellent way to nurture their healthy growth and development.
At The Adventurous Child, we understand the importance of early childhood development. We design and install across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, and ship nationwide — contact us today to get started!
