PTE Reading MC Multiple Answers: Playing is as natural for children as breathing. They play because they are so full of …

Playing is as natural for children as breathing. They play because they are so full of animal spirits and so overcharged with a muscular energy that they must expend it by playing, running, jumping, and other physical activities to build their muscles and tone their motor development. It is all-instinctive. Moreover, playing involves imagination, imitation, and ‘make-believe’ and thus contributes to the development of the child’s mind also. In playing a child makes friends, develops the qualities of leadership, and learns to function in a group. This develops his social responsibility. Moreover, playing is a rehearsal of those activities which will be useful to them in life. For example, when girls play with dolls they practice being mothers and when boys play policeman games, they prepare themselves for active outdoor life. Psychologists believe that playing also acts as a therapy for the child. It serves as an emotional vent. It gives him/her a much-needed cathartic release. Children play to make up for defeats, sufferings, and everyday frustration. He may have been scolded by a teacher or built by a classmate.