Imaginative or pretend play, stimulates the senses, creates
opportunities for exploration and creative thinking, and helps your
child to develop key skills vital for intellectual and emotional
growth as well as social success. The first signs of pretend play
emerge around 12 to 18 months. Your 18-month-old may try to feed
their baby doll with a spoon, or pick up a block and bring it to
their ear as a phone. Early forms of pretend play are largely
solitary in nature. While your 2-year-old may enjoy the company of
friends, a closer look at their play will tell you that each is
under the spell of a separate fantasy.
It is not until after their third or even fourth birthdays that
children's pretend play becomes truly interactive, although your
child will continue to enjoy solitary pretend play activities with
miniature toys (e.g. dolls houses, petrol stations, castles, small
trucks) and props.
The years from three to six are generally thought of as the "golden
years" of pretend or imaginative play; at no other time in your
child's life will they be so immersed in a world of fantasy. You
can facilitate your child's play be providing them with props and
toys. In the early stages children need realistic props such as
irons, miniature figurines, kitchenware, medical kits, and
gardening tools to get them started and to sustain their play, but
as they get older and more comfortable with this form of play,
unrealistic props are equally important (e.g., cardboard boxes,
sticks, cartons). It is also good to include open-ended objects
like coloured blocks as these extend children's imagination with
unlimited possibilities.
Older preschoolers will enjoy engaging in role-play and love to
dress-up. One day my daughter greeted me as "The Great Becean (her
word)" - a world famous magician! The next day she was a lion -
king of the house (at least for a day)!! Many role-plays involve
simple imitation of adults; this helps your child to better
understand what the world of adulthood is all about. If you are
invited to participate (which at times you will be), take direction
from your child as this is their world and they will relish the
opportunity to be in-charge! When adults are overly intrusive in
leading children's play, many of the intrinsic benefits are
lost.
Developmentally, pretend play enhances children's self-confidence,
self-awareness, and self-control. It stimulates children to think
creatively, and improves memory, language and perspective-taking
skills. Imaginative play is the form of play that is most social
and has the greatest impact on the development of key skills
important for children's success with peers. When playing
creatively with their friends your child learns to cooperate and
compromise (e.g., "I want to be the princess." "No. You have to be
the Queen, you were the princess last time!"), to participate in
social activities, and to understand social relationships.
Written by Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett and provided to us by
KiDS Central and the Early Learning Centre.
