What does a child learn from pretend play? – Mummascribbles

I wrote a post a while ago in which I mentioned that I wasn’t the biggest fan of playing, and in all honesty, it is still the case that when Zach says the words “I’m going to put on a show”, my heart sinks to the ground! And with Oscar now being into the whole imaginative play too, it features quite a lot in my days! But even though I huff, puff, and unwillingly take part in whatever it is they are doing, I do know that this kind of play is so important to their development, and so really, I should be a bit more upbeat when it comes to them doing it. But what exactly does a child learn from pretend play? I thought I would do a little research!

Language development

A lot of imaginary play involves language skills, and it can be really interesting to hear what your child is saying because often they will say things that you didn’t even know they knew. Oscar has the benefit of having a big brother and I genuinely do believe that he is pretty advanced with both his imaginative play and his language skills thanks to Zach. I mean Zach doesn’t stop talking and Oscar wants to be like Zach, so it makes complete sense to me! And when they role play together, quite often, Oscar is repeating what Zach is saying, or saying what he’s been told to say by Zach.

But even when Oscar is playing by himself, with a set of toys that he is bringing to life, I am sometimes amazed at the stuff he comes out with, the descriptive words he uses, the explanations that he comes out with.

If you can, just sit and watch your child while they are having a bit of imaginative play time and I bet you will hear them using phrases that you had no idea they knew!

Emotional development

This is something that I am noticing a lot with Oscar at the moment. He is two years and eight months old and is very much into a specific role play scenario which I can see enhances his emotional intelligence. He pretends that there is a monster at the front door, and we have to let it in because it is a friendly monster. And we do. It comes in, we give it a stroke, and it stays with us! And this little game has really helped Oscar to understand emotions. Sometimes the monster is sad. Sometimes Oscar is sad because the monster is outside. He is understanding the difference between friendly and mean, and he is showing his caring side too. It’s important for children to develop that knowledge of the feelings of other people (and monsters), and this type of pretend play is great at helping that along.

Thought development

Whether it’s problem solving or planning the whole thing in advance, boy does pretend play make them think! When Zach puts on one of his shows, there is a whole thought process that goes into him performing for us. He has to set up the stage, he has to get the correct characters for the show (usually a selection of toys), and he then has to think about the content. And if he is involving Oscar or his friend, he then has to explain to them exactly what he wishes them to do and at what points. And quite often, he helps them through it because they can never remember exactly what it is they are supposed to be doing.

When I think about the actual process involved in him putting on one of his shows that we think is boring (because in reality they are pretty simple things), they are actually pretty epic. He is six. I shouldn’t expect a full theatre worthy performance, but I should appreciate what his little brain has put together for me to watch.

Physical development

Pretend play is great for a child’s physical development because quite often, it gets them moving. If they are pretending to be an aeroplane, jumping into the sky like a rocket, or building elf and fairy houses in the trees; they are keeping their bodies (and brains) moving, using different muscles, and developing their fitness at the same time.

So how can you encourage pretend play?

The truth is, even if you find pretend play the most boring thing in the world, just allowing them to get on with it and making them think you believe in everything they are showing you, and everything you are pretending to be, will encourage them to be confident in their ideas for pretend play. Put your all into it and watch them flourish 🙂

I have put together a little download for you with 32 ideas for pretend play.

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