by Victor Ong
Excerpt from:
The Importance of Pretend Play
By Ellen Booth Church
Colour emphasis by the blogger.
......Have you ever watched your child pick up a stone and pretend it is a zooming car, or hop a Lego across the table as if it were a person or a bunny? Your child is using an object to represent something else while giving it action and motion. But this pretend play is not as simple as it may seem. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas. ......
.....When your child engages in pretend (or dramatic) play, he is actively experimenting with the social and emotional roles of life. Through cooperative play, he learns how to take turns, share responsibility, and creatively problem-solve. When your child pretends to be different characters, he has the experience of "walking in someone else's shoes," which helps teach the important moral development skill of empathy....
....Your child also builds self-esteem when he discovers he can be anything just by pretending!
In the early years, children are just beginning to understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Imaginative play and acting out both familiar characters (such as family members) and fictional ones helps children internalize this important distinction. For example, your child can grasp the difference between her real mommy and the mommy she sometimes pretends to be when playing house. She will then apply that experiential knowledge to other situations.....
...Kids can do a perfect imitation of mom, dad, and the teacher! Pretend play helps your child understand the power of language. In addition, by pretend playing with others, he learns that words give him the means to reenact a story or organize play......
....Pretend play provides your child with a variety of problems to solve. Whether it's two children wanting to play the same role or searching for the just right material to make a roof for the playhouse, your child calls upon important cognitive thinking skills that he will use in every aspect of his life, now and forever. Does your child enjoy a bit of roughhousing? Great! Some researchers in early brain development believe that this sort of play helps develop the part of the brain (the frontal lobe) that regulates behavior. So instead of worrying that this type of activity will encourage your child to act out or become too aggressive, be assured that within a monitored situation, rough-house play can actually help your child learn the self-regulation skills needed to know how and when this type of play is appropriate.....
Ellen Booth Church is a former professor of early childhood education, an education consultant and author.
Excerpt from:
The Power of Pretend Play
By Adele M. Brodkin, Ph.D.
Colour emphasis by the blogger.
....We begin to see early forms of pretend play at or even before age 2 when children assign an object (say, a block) to represent something else (perhaps a cell phone). And actual tools, such as a spoon or baby bottle, may also be used, to feed dolls or stuffed animals, for example. Two-year-old pretend is usually done solo, perhaps with a parent or caregiver as cooperating assistant. It is not until well after their third, or even fourth birthdays, that such play becomes complex and truly interactive.
By 4, rich imaginary play flourishes in well developing children. It is often interactive, and there is an unfolding story. Roles are assigned: "I'll be the teacher and you be the student." As the complexity increases, kids may spend more time establishing the plot and assigning the roles than in the actual play. You can help by being a good member of the cast; providing props such as old clothes or a collection of hats; or accepting an assignment (such as calling for plumbers). But your child should be in charge. When adults try to lead the play, many of its intrinsic values are lost......
....Restricting the opportunities for pretend play at this age is no less self-defeating than binding a child's feet to stunt their growth.....
....Our task is to marvel at the skill and creativity that emerges, the ability to symbolize, the unfolding logic, the act of storytelling that enriches pre-literacy, the socio-dramatic qualities that are associated with social skill and problem-solving ... but most of all the sheer joy of self-expression that sets the stage for future success. Later, in the primary grades, there is usually less overt imaginary play; but in the best of circumstances, children's imagination remains vital and is transferred to storytelling, daydreaming, planning, and the development of a lasting, rich inner life.
Adele M. Brodkin is a faculty member for the Institute for Training in Infant and Preschool Mental Health, Youth Consultation Service, and a member of the psychiatry department, section of psychology, at St. Barnabas Medical Center, both in northern New Jersey. She is a senior child development consultant and an author for Scholastic, which has published many of her articles, chapters, and books, including her newest title, Raising Happy and Successful Kids. For more from Dr. Brodkin, visit her blog.
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