Superheroes, princesses, pirates, and spacemen working together in harmony? That is one scenario that would seem out of place in real life but definitely not in a dramatic play by kids.
Children are predisposed to play pretend, but sometimes, parents and even educators deliberately or unknowingly constrain the kids’ imaginations, fearing they would end up confusing fantasy with reality.
But it turns out that immersion in make-believe, whether indoors or outdoors, is to be encouraged as it builds skills in fundamental development areas.
Imaginative play involves figurative transformations or representations of materials or action. Children may substitute one object for another, take on roles, and improvise in scenarios which are not meant to literally reflect reality. During such play, children are also provided with a variety of problems to solve, thus provoking innovative thinking.
Even roughhouse play is believed to aid the development of the frontal lobe, a part of the brain that regulates behaviour. No need to worry about playing encouraging your child to act aggressively. As long as the situation is monitored and clear boundaries are set, rest assured that your child will be able to identify how and when such play is allowed.
Sociodramatic plays, or what we commonly know as role plays, may provide enabling environment for children to play freely with the syntax of a particular language. Actual studies show that it enhances literacy as language usage including subjunctives, future tenses, and adjectives increases (Kaufman, 2012). Since there is no definite structure for such activity, kids have the power to recreate their favourite stories or enact their imagined scenarios as they build their vocabulary and learn phonics.
By definition, cooperative play involves division of responsibilities for the purpose of achieving a common goal. Aside from it being an opportunity for children to experiment with the various social roles in life, it is where they can also be introduced to communication, cooperation and even compromise.
Imaginative play provides an ideal environment for learning how to read social cues like body language and expressions and how they influence social interactions.
Make-believe games provide children a chance to express and practice managing their feelings, both positive and negative ones. From merely having an egocentric perspective, they will learn that other people may hold beliefs that do not exactly match what they know (Thompson, 2017). They are more likely to understand new and complex emotions like guilt, grief, disappointment and the like.
According to cognitive psychologist Dr. Scott Kaufman (2012), systematic research has progressively shown several clear benefits of children’s participation in pretend games from ages two and a half through ages six or seven. Given that most of those years are spent at home and in school, the responsibility of offering encouragement for a child’s creativity, ingenuity, and divergent thinking falls on parents and educators. Who would have thought making up stories or playing the part of a fictional character could actually boost learning and further child development?
Children are predisposed to play pretend, but sometimes, parents and even educators deliberately or unknowingly constrain the kids’ imaginations, fearing they would end up confusing fantasy with reality.
But it turns out that immersion in make-believe, whether indoors or outdoors, is to be encouraged as it builds skills in fundamental development areas.
- Thinking Abilities
Imaginative play involves figurative transformations or representations of materials or action. Children may substitute one object for another, take on roles, and improvise in scenarios which are not meant to literally reflect reality. During such play, children are also provided with a variety of problems to solve, thus provoking innovative thinking.
Even roughhouse play is believed to aid the development of the frontal lobe, a part of the brain that regulates behaviour. No need to worry about playing encouraging your child to act aggressively. As long as the situation is monitored and clear boundaries are set, rest assured that your child will be able to identify how and when such play is allowed.
- Language Skills
Sociodramatic plays, or what we commonly know as role plays, may provide enabling environment for children to play freely with the syntax of a particular language. Actual studies show that it enhances literacy as language usage including subjunctives, future tenses, and adjectives increases (Kaufman, 2012). Since there is no definite structure for such activity, kids have the power to recreate their favourite stories or enact their imagined scenarios as they build their vocabulary and learn phonics.
- Social Competence
By definition, cooperative play involves division of responsibilities for the purpose of achieving a common goal. Aside from it being an opportunity for children to experiment with the various social roles in life, it is where they can also be introduced to communication, cooperation and even compromise.
Imaginative play provides an ideal environment for learning how to read social cues like body language and expressions and how they influence social interactions.
- Emotional Development
Make-believe games provide children a chance to express and practice managing their feelings, both positive and negative ones. From merely having an egocentric perspective, they will learn that other people may hold beliefs that do not exactly match what they know (Thompson, 2017). They are more likely to understand new and complex emotions like guilt, grief, disappointment and the like.
According to cognitive psychologist Dr. Scott Kaufman (2012), systematic research has progressively shown several clear benefits of children’s participation in pretend games from ages two and a half through ages six or seven. Given that most of those years are spent at home and in school, the responsibility of offering encouragement for a child’s creativity, ingenuity, and divergent thinking falls on parents and educators. Who would have thought making up stories or playing the part of a fictional character could actually boost learning and further child development?
I completely enjoyed this read. I totally encourage pretend play! Thanks for sharing. xoxo
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