The Value Of Pretend Play For Your Child

Think that pretend play is just a bit of fun? For children, it’s a vital way to understand the world around them, to polish social skills and to explore their emotions. Here’s more information.

From an early age, children are drawn to pretend play. Whether it’s creating alternative universes out of building blocks, pretending that their beds are boats or caves, or dressing up and adopting a new character – kids are always looking for ways to immerse themselves in self-created worlds.

When observing children playing like this, it’s easy to assume that it’s non-educational entertainment. After all, no math skills are being used, and there’s no scientific exploration going on. However, research shows us that pretend play is actually an invaluable aspect of your child’s education.

How Pretend Play Helps Your Child

Pretend play assists your child’s development in a number of different ways, including:

• Language – Listening to children when they’re involved in role play provides real insight into their language development. Through play, your child will practice new words and phrases. They’ll also explore the natural rhythm of conversations, and how language is used in diverse ways by different people. It’s the ideal opportunity for them to practice using language in a safe, non-threatening environment.
• Problem-Solving – Children will often explore issues through pretend play. When their dolly gets ‘hurt’, for example, they’ll often use pretend play to address the incident and offer solutions. Conflict resolution is also often explored in role play!
• Social Skills – Adopting a new character lets your child explore what works in a social situation, and what doesn’t. When involved in pretend play with others, they’ll often practice taking turns, listening to one another and sharing ideas – all invaluable social skills to have for the future.
• Emotional Response – Children often express their emotions through pretend play. It’s a safer, more secure way of voicing anger, frustration, happiness and sadness – and also of exploring ‘appropriate’ responses to certain emotional situations.

Pretend Play Ideas

It’s important to engage your child in imaginative role play. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.

1. Puppet Shows – If your child is reluctant to engage in pretend play, then using puppets is an excellent way to offer gentle encouragement. Rather than taking on a role themselves, the child only has to create a voice for the puppet, which can be less daunting! Putting on a puppet show enables your child to practice language skills, and develop confidence presenting in front of an audience.
2. Pretend Shops – Set up a ‘shop’ in your home, ideally with a play food set and a till. Ask your child to take turns pretending to be the shop owner, then the customer – and encourage them to explore different roles. Classic characters include; the friendly neighbour, the busy business man and the well-to-do woman (who is inevitably a tricky customer). However, children can be as crazy with their ideas as they like – fancy serving an alien, anyone?
3. New Worlds – If your child likes playing with figurines, help them to create an alternative world for their toys. For example, if they’ve got plenty of dinosaur toys, go out into the garden and create a wilderness for them to hide in, using plants, deck chairs or anything else you can get hold of. Empty cardboard boxes are particularly useful for this type of activity.

Exploring Geography, History And More!

One of the most wonderful aspects of pretend play is that there are no limits in terms of imagination. Pretend play provides the opportunity to explore new worlds and different eras in history. Here’s just a few examples.

1. Medieval Times – If your child has shown an interest in medieval jousting, dress them up as a knight and start exploring what life might have been like in those times. It’s an excellent way to explore history in an interactive, engaging way; and there are many fascinating historical eras to take inspiration from.
2. African Savannahs – If your child loves animals and is fascinated by Africa, create a savannah mini-world in the home – this is another activity that lends itself well to the garden. This works equally well for Arctic exploration or trekking through the rainforest!
3. Outer Space – If your child is captivated by all things astronomy-related, create an outer space environment for them to play in. Help them to get creative with paints, crayons and paper, colouring in planets and creating cardboard aliens.
4. Dragons, Monsters and Fairies – Children are often entranced by fairy-tale stories, and will love the opportunity to create magical lands of their own. Allow them to explore creatively and see what ideas they can come up with.

Great Role Play Toys For Children

The Kiddit website is the perfect place to find inspiration for toys which encourage pretend play. We’ve got a wide range of toys, designed to develop imaginative exploration and unleash creativity.