Is Pretend Play Good for Kids? | Psychology Today
"Let's pretend to be…" is commonly heard from young children as they play and interact at school, daycare, or at home. Many adults encourage imagination and creativity but others are afraid that children will lose sight of the distinction between fantasy and reality. What is the truth?
It turns out that the fears are largely unfounded. Pretend play is a healthy part of every child's social, emotional, and cognitive development and should not be feared by parents or educators.
There are two basic types of pretend play: fantasy play and sociodramatic play (Lindsey & Colwell, 2013).
Fantasy play usually begins around age 2 and peaks during the preschool years when children begin to interact with other children their own age and gain access to more toys and resources. Approximately 10-17% of all preschoolers' play behavior can be grouped under this category. You can recognize this type of play by the child's continuous verbalization of a state of pretend, meaning the child does not stay completely in character and feels the need to continue explaining what he or she is pretending to be or do.
Read full article from Is Pretend Play Good for Kids? | Psychology Today
No comments:
Post a Comment