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Learn more about early childhood education 

Why is Pretend Play Important for Child Development

12/15/2020

9 Comments

 
What is a pretend play?

“Pretend you go to my shop.”

“My doll is sick, and I am the doctor.”

Have you ever heard your child say something like this?
Pretend Play
If your child loves pretending and engaging in dramatic play or games, they are learning and developing. Pretend play is an excellent way to learn to solve a problem, socialize, cooperate, use intellectual flexibility, and boost creativity.
Indeed, pretend activity offers all these benefits. Yet, pretend play’s educational value is often devaluated because it is fun, although many studies have proven that children learn better when they have fun.
What’s more beneficial to cognitive development than using imagination to create situations, become someone else, alleviate fears, develop communication, thinking strategies, and cooperate to achieve a goal?

Pretend Play is Learning

Pretend play is more complex than it appears. Where adults would see a game, children actively learn about themselves, others, and their environment. ​
A child engaging in pretend play is intellectually multitasking, experimenting with making sense of the world around them. It is a hands-on experience of the world, an opportunity to come back on patterns that they observed, memorized, and try their own version. 
Ultimately, your child learns essential skills, like distributing roles, leadership, developing a scenario, clarifying expectations, and how to deal with different opinions or ideas.

In other words, pretend play helps them to learn how to interact with others. It is an essential skill that helps us evolve in society in any aspect of life.  While maturing knowledge and emotional intelligence, your child learns concepts and symbols by using imagination.
Once involved in playing, they will learn to take turns and self-regulate emotions even without adult intervention to regulate and direct them into behavioral patterns. 

Pretend play helps children cope with scary or emotionally involved events. For instance, your last “scary” wellness at the pediatrician can become a play from the child’s perspective. 
Have you ever observed your child pretend that a toy is sick and give it an injection? 

It is how pretend play can be cathartic for specific life events. In a way, adopting the parent or pediatrician’s point of view, in our example, can help them prepare for future wellness visits. 

Pretend Play is Simple

You do not need to invest in extravagant toy sets. Although many online shops sell pretend play playsets, all you need is imagination and eventually cardboard boxes and a doll or stuffed animal.
Anyone can turn a cardboard box into a spaceship, a car, a storefront, or a pirate ship with the strength of imagination. If you run out of ideas, take some pillows, blankets, or chairs and create a fort together, and you are good for hours of fun.
The most important is to engage with your child. Trigger the game, and why not be part of the pretend play? It is a great way to bond with your child while helping them to learn.

It is also an opportunity to reverse the roles. 

Why?
Let them lead the game and try to follow their instructions. It is an excellent way to develop their sense of independence, self-esteem, and leadership. 

Adults tend to regulate the activity and guide children. Sometimes in excess. Unless they ask your specific input to generate prompts or an idea, let them come up with the ideas and create their scenario. 

Let Children Be Children

It is important to keep these islands of fun and pure imagination in a schedule timed with activities. If you see your child creating a universe of fun, do not interrupt them; just let them carry on. No guided activity or practice can replace minutes of pretend play.  

​So, next time you see your child play pretending they are grocery shopping, enjoying tea time, or pretending they are superheroes, join them. Be part of the fun. 
9 Comments
Michael link
1/18/2022 11:18:16 am

Great Article! Thank you for sharing this is very informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.

Reply
Eli Richardson link
3/3/2022 12:06:10 pm

I found it very interesting when you talked about pretend play and how it helps a child interact with the world! The other day, my wife and I were talking about getting a new toy for our child. We want to help our kid develop while having fun, so we'll be sure to keep reading your article! We appreciate your advice on what kind of toys we could use for pretend play!

Reply
Victoria Addington link
6/2/2022 11:35:32 pm

It was most captivating when you mentioned that pretend play allows children to manage frightening or emotionally involved circumstances. My sister is a first-time mother, so she wants guidance from other moms. I should advise her to search for toddler development blogs so she can read helpful tips.

Reply
Max Jones link
6/30/2022 04:03:38 pm

Thanks for the info about child care. My sister wants to properly raise her children. I'll share this info about child care with my sister.

Reply
Mia Evans link
10/4/2022 01:51:19 am

It's interesting to know that children can learn how to take turns and would be able to regulate their emotions without adult intervention. I hope that my son will learn that once I find child care services to send him to start this month. He needs exposure to other children, because he has no cousin of the same age as him as well as neighbors that is why I want to find a place where he can meet other kids.

Reply
Christopher Bailey link
10/17/2022 05:30:51 am

General paper baby all create. Look air most those grow book. Real American statement group someone.
After read go magazine. Everything friend father put recognize smile focus.

Reply
Tex Hooper link
10/18/2022 07:53:36 pm

You make a great point about helping kids learn leadership early on. My son is very active but needs direction. I'll have to consider getting him into a child care center that helps with socialization among his peers.

Reply
Millie Hue link
10/24/2022 07:03:41 am

It got me when you said that pretend play would be able to help the kids learn how to solve problems, socialize, cooperate, and more. I hope to find a child care facility that offers that kind of program for my son. He would actually need it to learn socialization skills, because he does not have that many kids at the same age as him in our neighborhood and relatives.

Reply
Jessie Holloway link
1/11/2023 03:16:13 pm

I love how you highlight the fact that pretend play is another way of learning and practicing skills. My sister wants her kids to have every chance to succeed and enjoy life. We've been looking into the things kids should get into at young ages to help them develop. We'll have to look into getting her kids some toys to pretend with, like dolls and a doll house.

Reply



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Willowdale Children's Academy is a child care agency located in Chester County, PA, specialized in early learning with schools in Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Avondale, and West Chester, PA. We offer programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, after school care, and summer camps.
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