Rough-and-Tumble Play
When my two teenage daughters Skyla and Valentina were younger, they would spend most of their days in my livingroom playing rough with each other, I would always get upset with them because I always thought that they were going to end up real fighting. My husband also told me Alisha, if they were out to hurt each other why would one keep coming back? Well come to find out my husband was absolutely right. They knew the difference between Rough-and-Tumble play and real fighting. I always feared that they would hurt one another and that to me is the biggest fear a parent could have is one of their children getting hurt.
There are many fears and misperceptions in the Rough-and-Tumble play. Many parents fear that rough-and-tumble play will turn into real fighting. A child knows right from wrong. According to (Pellegrini, 1987 Pellergrini, & Smith, 1998; Pellis & Pellis, 2007) Rough-and-tumble play has considerable merit in a young child’s overall development. Through physical interactions required in Rough-and-tumble play children learn the give-and-take of appropriate social interaction. Social and emotional are not the only developmental areas that are positively affected by Rough-and-tumble play, it also supports Cardiovascular health. According to Carlson, 2006, children get many of their vital touch needs met through the play. When a child is in preschool it is very critical for children to develop both physically and emotionally, so rough-and-tumble play for them is especially invaluable.
Rough-and-tumble play environmental
When it comes to rough-and-tumble play a parent should always make sure that the environment that the child is playing in is as safe as possible. Some things that you can look for, is make sure all hard edges are rounded instead of sharp, is the play area trip-free, is there enough area for
References: Carlson,F.M/ (2006). Essential touch: Meeting the needs of young children. Washington, DC; NAEYC. Humphreys, A.D.,& Smith, P.K. (1987). Rough-and-tumble, Friendships, and dominance in school children; Evidence for continuity, and change with age. Child Development, 58 Pellegrini, A.D. (1987). Rough-and-tumble play; Developmental and Educational Significance. Educational Pshycology. Pellis, S.M., & Pellis, V.C. (2007). Rough-and-tumble play and the development of social brain. Association of Psychological Science. Scott, E., & Panksepp, J. (2003). Rough-and-tumble play in human children. Aggressive Behavior, 29