Roughhousing With a Toddler

When your toddler leaps onto your back, you might wonder if you are training him to be a tackle for the NFL. Regardless of whether your little slugger has a future in football, roughhousing with your child can have benefits that will last a lifetime. Richard Fletcher of the University of Newcastle Australia researched children who roughhoused with their fathers and the results showed the importance of this active form of play.

  1. Development and Rough Play

    • Toddlers learn about their world through play. While some parents want to keep their little one̵7;s world as soft and safe as possible, the world isn̵7;t always that way. Introducing your child to the sometimes rough-and-tumble realities of life through play prepares him for the world. Toddlers are also working hard on coordination, strength and balance. All of these skills are enhanced by roughhousing.

    Roughhousing and Intelligence

    • Because a toddler can̵7;t precisely predict what a parent will do while wrestling, the toddler has to constantly re-think the position she's in. She has to coordinate her muscles to attack while still trying to figure out how to reach her goal, whether that is tickling dad̵7;s chin or stealing mom̵7;s sock. This is hard work for a little developing brain. Dr. Anthony T. Benedict, author of the book ̶0;The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It,̶1; says that coordinating movement, strategy and action stimulates the toddler's brain and makes her smarter.

    Building Trust

    • When parents roughhouse with a child, it is clear to everyone, including the child, that the parents have the upper hand. Children can only play when they know that mom or dad remain in charge. Toddlers, however, don̵7;t always know how to pull their punches. It is important that parents know when to stop rough play before someone gets hurt. When dad reminds the toddler not to hurt, he is teaching the beginning of compassion and empathy.

    Gender Differences

    • Some parents feel comfortable roughhousing with little boys, but not with little girls. Pediatrician William Sears, at AskDrSears.com, says that this sends the subtle message that boys are tough and girls are weak. The truth is, not all boys are tough or like to play rough and not all girls want to be left out of the fun. Sears encourages parents to choose play based on the child̵7;s temperament, not the child̵7;s gender.

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