Pretend play, also known as imaginative play, provides a powerful and fun make-believe context for children to express their creativity and develop social and emotional skills. Pretend play evolves as children grow.
Two-year-old children begin to act out scenarios with stuffed animals, dolls, or figures, and they tend to use these realistic toys to mimic familiar events. For instance, a two-year old may play by having their stuffed dog walk and drink out of a bowl.
Around age three, symbolic play emerges. This involves using one object as another or pretending an object has different properties than it actually has. This might look like a child pretending a box is a crib for their baby doll, having their block creation “meow” as a cat, or imagining an empty bowl is full as they feed their animal figures.
Beyond age three, pretend play becomes more complex and social in nature. Children begin to incorporate imaginary objects, create more detailed narratives and fantasy worlds, and engage in dramatic role-play with peers. Ages three to five are considered the “high season” of imaginative play, though pretend play continues into middle childhood.
Research shows that while kids have fun creating fantasy worlds and acting out stories they are developing their skills in key areas.
Benefits of Pretend Play
Kids who play pretend more often have stronger skills in a number of important areas.
Creativity: Pretend play is open-ended, which means that there is no limit to the stories or worlds that kids can create. They can also think creatively about ways to use objects for new purposes or use the magic of their imaginations, like putting an invisible crown onto a friend to make them a king. This kind of play can support skill development in creative thinking and problem solving.
Emotional skills: When playing pretend, kids get the chance to explore emotions in a unique way. They might practice soothing a crying baby doll or act out an angry monster. Kids who engage more in these kinds of play have stronger emotion knowledge and emotion regulation and control. Role playing may help them develop these skills by expressing differing emotions than those they are feeling in order to stay in character or fit the play situation.
Social skills: Pretend play with siblings and other children provides a natural opportunity for kids to build upon their social skills, as they work to pick roles, create a shared world and storyline, and resolve any conflicts that arise. Pretend play appears to support the development of theory-of-mind, which is the ability to recognize that other people may have different beliefs, intentions, thoughts, and feelings.
Executive functioning: In pretend play, kids actively use their executive functioning skills to understand and maintain the boundary between make-believe and reality. Kids who play pretend have stronger skills in areas like short-term memory and flexible thinking, and they are more able to keep up their efforts to achieve a goal.
Language and communication: Pretend play appears to support kids’ language development. Kids whose play involves elaborative make-believe stories and worlds have more advanced vocabularies and story retelling skills.
Pretend play is a way for children to work on important areas of development, while also building specific skills that have potential long-term benefits for socially, emotionally, academically, and beyond!
#James Donaldson notes: Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes. Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use. Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.#http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle Find out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundation website www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson’s latest book, #CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
You can promote pretend play and embrace the magic of your child’s imagination through the materials you provide and by playing along!
Materials and toys: Realistic toys, like dolls and playsets, are the most helpful for getting toddlers and younger preschoolers engaged in pretend play. From about age 3 and up, dramatic play can be encouraged by providing a range of costumes and life-sized props. Kids can use these play materials, along with their imaginations, to take on endless roles and create their own fantasy worlds.
Playing along: Grown-ups can encourage pretend play by joining in the fun! Though it is important for children to learn to play alone and with other children, there are also many benefits to parent-child play. Just 5 minutes a day of playtime can strengthen the parent-child relationship, especially if the parent joins the child’s play world and follows their lead. Parents can also encourage pretend play by modeling how to use objects creatively and by acting out characters.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at [email protected] and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
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