“游戏反映出我们是怎样的人。”
-- Ovid-罗马诗人
儿童从游戏中获得的很多重要受益从表面上是看不出来的。其中一项就是情商发展。自由游戏是对儿童情商发展至关重要的因素。研究指出，游戏在三个方面促进儿童EQ的发展:
建立自信心和自尊心
经历各种不同的情绪
心灵的创伤得以释放
自由游戏（如冒险活动、冲突解决及激发想象力的角色扮演游戏等）有助于提高儿童各项技能的发展，从而培养儿童的自信心和自尊心。攀爬及悬吊等有挑战性的游乐设施给儿童一种成就感，从而更加提高儿童的自我认可。与其他小朋友的社会交流能力的提高或者独立完成游戏的能力，都是建立儿童自信心的关键因素。
研究显示儿童会在自由游戏中表达自己的情绪，并学习如何应对自己的恐惧感及曾经受惊吓的经历。自由游戏让儿童可以把自己的情绪完完全全地表达出来而没有保留。有些游乐设施可以培养儿童的想象力。如攀爬管或任何相对封闭的空间，儿童可以想象成自己在房间里、车里或学校内。自由游戏中，儿童可以利用想象类游戏或角色扮演类游戏来模拟体验不同的经历和感觉，让儿童打破现实生活的限制，经历新的事物。不同年龄段的儿童体验到的感觉也有所不同。学龄前儿童培养的是其情绪的稳定性，而大一些儿童培养的则是其思考的同步性和幽默感。
经证实，对心灵和精神受过创伤的儿童，如经受家庭暴力、家庭变故、自然灾害或战争的儿童，游戏有治疗作用。专家研究发现，通过游戏，儿童可以自由释放自己的情绪，在游戏中忘却痛苦，同时增强其安全感，并逐渐可以与其他人分享自己的感觉。让儿童在游戏中自由表达自己的情绪和情感与锻炼儿童健康的体魄同等重要。德国物理学家Albert说“游戏是研究的最高形式。”
“In our play we reveal what kind of people we are.” Ovid Roman Poet 427-347 BC There are several important benefits children derive from play that are not seen on the surface. One of these is a child’s emotional development, and free play is an important key to a child’s emotional growth. Research has pointed to three areas where play helps children develop emotionally:
Building self-confidence and esteem
Experimenting with various emotions
Releasing emotions from trauma
Free play encourages children to develop skills that build self-confidence and self-esteem, such as risk-taking, conflict resolution and imaginative dramatic play. Playground equipment like climbers and overhead hanging apparatuses presents kids with physical challenges, which build a sense of accomplishment that leads to higher self-esteem. Social development with other children, and the ability to play on their own, can also be important factors in building self-confidence.
Research has shown children use free play to express their emotions and to learn to deal with their fears and scary experiences. Free play allows children to express themselves completely, without holding back. Certain playground equipment fosters experimentation, like tunnels and enclosed spaces, where kids can simulate being in a house, car or school. During free play, kids can use imaginative or pretend play to experience different feelings and outcomes. This allows them to break out of the limitations of their reality and experience new things. These experiences and feelings change as a child grows older. Preschoolers develop emotional strength and stability while older children develop spontaneity and humor.
Play has also proven to be therapeutic for children who have emotional wounds from trauma, including child abuse, family disruptions, and children who experience the effects of natural disaster or war. Specialists’ studies have shown that through play, children can release emotions and “play out” their traumas, while developing a sense of safety so they can share feelings freely. Encouraging children to express themselves freely during play is as important as encouraging good physical health. “Play is the highest form of research.” Albert Einstein German-American Physicist 1879-1945.
转自美国IPEMA Voice of Play官方网站 翻译：Cathy Xu
