Encourage Playtime
Play is widespread throughout the animal kingdom suggesting that it must serve some vital function. One way to find out what play is good for is to take it away from animals and see how they fare. The problem is that this experiment is nearly impossible to do. Animals (including children) are irrepressible; they play under the most adverse conditions. The only way to get an animal to stop playing is to restrain its mobility. This reverse restriction leads to decreases in physical activity and increases in stress, as measured by the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in saliva. Play, exercise and stress are closely linked. Play is crucial for the development of children as it is necessary for forming normal social connections.
Think of it this way: play is the work of children. It is perhaps the most effective way for them to learn life skills.