Report by: Salam al-Taee

Intellectual games develop children's intelligence and provide them with the necessary skills. These games help children to think productively, rely on themselves and provide them with the energy needed to face the difficulties of study and life.

Dr. Ali Abdul Karim, specialist in educational psychology, emphasizes that intellectual games are among the means that lead to the expansion of the child's intelligence as well as the capacity to innovate and develop his/her creative abilities.

“Imaginative play, or role play, is one of the stimulating means for the child's intelligence and those who love this kind of games have a wide vision,” Dr. Abdul Karim added.

Alia Hussein al-Safi, counsellor at the Family Guidance Center in Karbala, talked about the psychology of play in children and its benefits in general, saying, "Play is a directed or unguided activity that children perform in order to achieve fun and entertainment. Psychologists emphasize on the child's freedom to play, because during playing time, the child expresses his thoughts, tendencies and problems that he suffers from.”

Al-Safi continues saying, “Play affects the child's emotional balance, since satisfying the child's need to play is an educational, psychological or mental state, whether in his family, kindergarten, or school. It also helps to refine aggressive instincts, which is one of the necessary growth requirements for childhood.”

The counsellor referred to some of the countless benefits of play:

- Physical Benefit: Play is necessary for the growth of the child's muscles. The movements develop and train the senses.

- Educational Benefit: Play opens the mind of the child and allows him/her to think outside the box through the different play tools and the correct way of using each of them. Most of that information cannot be obtained from anywhere else.

- Social Benefit: The child learns through play how to build social relationships with others and how to interact with them.

- Moral Benefit: Through play, the child learns the concepts of right and wrong, as he learns some moral principles and values such as justice, honesty, self-control, patience and sportsmanship.

- Creative Benefit: The child can express his creative energies by experimenting with the ideas he holds, and turning them into creative movements, which leads to the early detection of his hobbies and capabilities, and working to develop and refine them.

- Cognitive Benefits: Playing intellectual games enhances memory and improves the brain’s speed, attention and concentration, coordination and problem-solving skills.