During early childhood, children love to play pretend. However, do you know pretend is important for appropriate development?
In Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms, you may see police officers, veterinarians, secretaries, princesses, karate instructors, and chef all working together. Throughout these imaginative scenarios, children learn to solve problems, coordinate, cooperate, and think.
In fact, children work out scary life issues, such as getting a shot at the doctor’s office. Or, they act out and learn about important social cues like negotiation and taking turns. Also, they blend knowledge and skills together by setting prices to their pretend items to purchase, writing signs to communicate, organization, and assign roles for each child.
Here are a few tips for pretend play:
- Use stories and allow the kids to add their own twist.
- Provide dolls or puppets, so children can ascribe feelings and ideas with them.
- Have prop boxes with dramatic play materials to spark even more creativity.
So, the next time you see your child engaged in pretend play, remind yourself that learning is taking place. You might as well join in the fun!
