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The Power of Pretend Play

By Adele M. Brodkin, Ph.D

The summer before my oldest grandson turned 4, he greeted a little girl at a community pool. "What is your name?" he asked. "Mary Alice," she replied. His immediate response: "Oh hi, Mary Alice, I'm Billy, the Landscaper."

Those were the days when Billy took on the identities of all the male workers he encountered. He was a gardener/landscaper with his own pretend tools including an ersatz "leaf blower." A few days later, he might become a carpenter, wearing at least one toy tool belt, and would offer to build or fix whatever was broken (in his imagination). Then came the day that he greeted me with an intriguing invitation. "Let's be plumbers, Grandma. Here is the shower that needs to be fixed. We need more help — you use this [toy] phone to call for extra plumbers." I was happy to take up the challenge, calling for plumbers to be helicoptered into the backyard. He smiled at my performance, knowing this was just a game. Or was it? "Here they come; they are landing," I shouted. Billy rushed to the window, excited; but wait, he smiled, realizing it was all pretend play, and he was delighted.

But why was I so eager to play along? Why wouldn't I have preferred to sit him down to learn letters or numbers or practice writing his name? Why did I not see imaginary play as a frivolous activity, especially in this era of heightened concern about measurable academic achievement?

The answer is simple: Everything in my education and experience supports the conviction that young children's capacity and eagerness to engage in increasingly complex pretend play are vital signs of healthy growth — emotionally, socially, and cognitively. What's more, children between the ages of 3 and 6 who cannot pretend, who do not engage in imaginary play, are very likely to face developmental troubles in some or all of those spheres. Dramatic play is not, as some parents and teachers fear, a waste of time; in fact it is the best predictor of a child's capacity for creative thinking and future social success.

We begin to see early forms of pretend play at or even before age 2 when children assign an object (say, a block) to represent something else (perhaps a cell phone). And actual tools, such as a spoon or baby bottle, may also be used, to feed dolls or stuffed animals, for example. Two-year-old pretend is usually done solo, perhaps with a parent or caregiver as cooperating assistant. It is not until well after their third, or even fourth birthdays, that such play becomes complex and truly interactive.

By 4, rich imaginary play flourishes in well developing children. It is often interactive, and there is an unfolding story. Roles are assigned: "I'll be the teacher and you be the student." As the complexity increases, kids may spend more time establishing the plot and assigning the roles than in the actual play. You can help by being a good member of the cast; providing props such as old clothes or a collection of hats; or accepting an assignment (such as calling for plumbers). But your child should be in charge. When adults try to lead the play, many of its intrinsic values are lost.

What are some of those values? Through imaginary play, children:
  • Come to terms with their feelings , thoughts, confusions, wishes, even fears.
  • Change the power balance by "becoming" the adults in charge: Mommy, Daddy, policeman, teacher, doctor, carpenter, gardener, etc. Suspending the reality of their size, age, and relative powerlessness is very reassuring.
  • Fulfill some unacceptable wishes : returning the baby sister to the hospital, for example.
  • Make sense of their social environment . If you pretend to be someone else, you will get a sense of how it feels to be that other person.
  • Develop feelings of mastery and control . In their role-playing, children are clearly in charge. And the play gives them opportunities to use many of their developing skills: eye-hand coordination, language proficiency, even large motor performance on tricycles or jungle gyms. It provides an opportunity to be inventive, to take risks (social, not physical risks).
  • Learn concepts and symbols — far more meaningfully than in situations that call for mere memorization and rote behavior.
  • Learn from their mistakes without mortification or any sense of failure.
So much for common notions about play being a waste of time! Restricting the opportunities for pretend play at this age is no less self-defeating than binding a child's feet to stunt their growth.

For all these reasons and more, every early childhood program from preschool to kindergarten and even beyond should value free play and allow ample time for it. Programs that shun such opportunities are not developmentally sound or appropriate.

Time for solo or interactive imaginary play outside of school should be equally encouraged. It's OK if you are not at ease doing pretend play as long as you are willing to take direction from your child. Any play that is safe for people and property should be allowed and in fact, encouraged. Our task is to marvel at the skill and creativity that emerges, the ability to symbolize, the unfolding logic, the act of storytelling that enriches pre-literacy, the socio-dramatic qualities that are associated with social skill and problem-solving ... but most of all the sheer joy of self-expression that sets the stage for future success.

Later, in the primary grades, there is usually less overt imaginary play; but in the best of circumstances, children's imagination remains vital and is transferred to storytelling, daydreaming, planning, and the development of a lasting, rich inner life.

 
 
 
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