Some of the fondest memories from childhood are from the outlandish and exciting things that we used to think about. Usually we can all remember a game that we made up, pretending to be our favorite animal, or even playing with an imaginary friend. Pretend play is any play that mixes reality with one’s imagination. While play is simply that, play, it can also be an important tool in guiding your child’s development.
When children are engaging in pretend play the child is participating freely as they get to set the narrative and they gain independence by self-guiding their play. Dramatic play can involve pretending an object is something other than what it actually is or just simply the child themselves taking on a new role. This type of play is beneficial due to the engagement it requires and children become totally absorbed in what they are doing. Children are also given the opportunity to practice representational thought in changing these identities as well as developing problem solving skillsl. These problem solving skills can be further developed when engaging in pretend play with others as they must learn to navigate conflicts and societal rules in these made up scenarios.
Engagement in pretend play has been found to be linked to pre-literacy skills as children practice their storytelling abilities as well as develop language for doing so.
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Marissa Robarge
UConn KIDS Research Assistant