Have you ever noticed how your child sometimes seeks a lot more interest in the box that his or her toy came in, rather than the toy itself?

That is nothing to worry about – it’s just your child engaged in heuristic play.

Heuristic play is the type of play that involves the sensory exploration of the properties of ‘everyday’ items, and not the regular toys – empty cartons, pillows, even toilet paper rolls.

This kind of play offers something that even the most colourful toys cannot give: a mind open to creativity, imagination and a lot more benefits. Let’s see what they are:

 

Creativity and Imagination unlocked

While muscle memory helps children enjoy a toy where some button gives a sound, heuristic objects offer complete freedom of imagination; children get to explore, learn and develop in an open-ended, natural way.

This kind of creative discovery incorporated within play is extremely helpful in the long run. It not only makes children more emotionally expressive, but also promotes increased concentration skills, creative thinking about ideas, and practical thinking in terms of using an item in different ways.

 

Promotes development of motor skills

Heuristic resources give an abundant amount of sensory exposure – despite being random objects, children play with them in many ways. They are hence exposed to opportunities where their motor skills begin to develop.

Whether it’s looking through a box, cutting cardboard, or gripping a pinecone to feel its spikes, toddlers are indirectly sharpening their gross motor skills, making them more stable and strong in the long run.

 

Early mathematical concepts built

When children play with random objects of different shapes, sizes and textures, they are actually building the most basic mathematical concepts in their tiny brains – without even knowing it.

They combine and manipulate the objects, and then deal with the product they get. This often ends up with these toddlers using basic maths like “1 + 1” and “3 – 2” during play. As simple as it may seem, this concept made at such an early age promotes problem-solving and technical-thinking in their later years.

 

Encourages independence

Playing with something as simple as an empty box instead of some toy is quite significant for a child. As they find new ways to play with the same item, they start to gain an understanding of the world, and realise that they are quite sufficient in entertaining themselves.

This feeling of self-sufficiency is what promotes children and toddlers to explore everyday objects to the fullest extent. They make their own choices, and hence begin to consider an independent style of thinking.

Nurseries play a huge role when it comes to heuristic play. Toddlers spend most of their childhood focused on their development – therefore a child’s early years can make or break their future. Nurseries in Marina like Oakfield Early Learning Center has an entire Heuristic Play Area, where children are free to use their imagination with their friends as much as they like.

The reason is simple – because we consider a child’s positive emotional and mental development part of our curriculum.