East of the River | March 2008

Let’s Pretend

Sparking Your Child’s Imagination

by: Ed-Genuity Consultants

A young child sings into a big wooden spoon in front of an audience of stuffed animals. Another picks up a stick and becomes a brave Jedi who will save the universe. It’s just child’s play. No big deal. Well, research shows that it is a very big deal indeed. Play is the way children learn. Pretend play builds creative thinking and problem-solving skills. It helps children with self-confidence, language and social skills. Children who spend more time in pretend play increase their ability to concentrate. They are better able to control strong emotions like impulsivity and aggression. Clearly child’s play is more than just fun and games. Here are some tips to inspire your child's imagination.

Explore and Create
Young children love to play make believe. It’s great fun being a superhero, secret agent, doctor or a parent. However pretending also helps your child work through ideas and feelings about the grownup world. Your young superhero is beginning to learn about good guys and bad guys and what it means to be brave.

Play also serves as an outlet for difficult emotions. Make believe lets children process thoughts and feelings that they may not be able to verbally express. Battling bad guys and monsters in the safety of their own room can help children cope with their fears. The little girl punishing her “bad” doll may be trying to make sense of a scolding she just received. Taking on the role of “mommy” helps her build her own self-control.

Children get to explore and rehearse life’s roles, rules and values in situations that they create. They become the creators of their own little dramas – building self-esteem. Your child can become anyone (a ballerina) or anything (a talking pony) and exist anywhere (underwater or outer space). It’s no wonder that children who spend lots of time in pretend play score well on tests of creativity.

Develop Social Skills
We know that academic skills are critical for school success. You might be surprised to learn that good social skills and emotional control may be just as vital. Pretend play seems to foster more cooperation among children than other types of play. When children play other kinds of games, the rules are already set. However, in pretend play the children make the rules and write the story. They have to decide on the characters and the setting. Are we playing nurse, airline pilot, princess or superhero? Are we in a castle, a forest or at the North Pole? What powers does the superhero have? They have to talk and listen to one another to make the story work. Who is going to be the astronaut, and who will be the space alien? What happens if both children want to be the astronaut? If they want to continue playing together, they have to figure out how to resolve their conflict. Make a point of seeking out other children to join your child in pretend play. It’s a great way to teach your child how to get along with others.

Encourage Pretend Play
Support your child's make-believe play. Let them know that they were a really scary monster, a brave superhero or a good teacher for their dolls. If your young cowboy wants to stay in character, allow him to wear his cowboy hat to the grocery store. Play along. Remember to shout, “giddyup” when you start the car. Give your child blocks of time for imaginative play—a half-hour minimum, an hour or more is best. If your child invites you to join in, go ahead. You don’t want to direct the activity. Follow your child’s lead as much as possible. You are entering your child’s world. It’s your child’s imagination you are trying to inspire, not yours. Create a prop box. Fill it with old clothes like shoes, hats, scarves, belts and shirts for dress up. Throw in boxes of all sizes, paper bags, paper towel rolls, string and building blocks. Add a flashlight, some keys and a toy phone. An old towel can become a head wrap, a cape or a skirt. Sheets and blankets can be thrown over tables or chairs to make a house, a cave or a fort.

Don't be concerned if your child doesn't use an object the "right" way. It's OK for that Frisbee to turn into a flying saucer, a dinner plate, a steering wheel or a mighty shield. After all—this is make believe.

Young children take in their world best through make-believe play. They are making sense of the world outside while learning to cope with their emotional world within. The children know they are having fun. We know that they are learning and growing. Here are some additional resources to fire up your child’s imagination.

Resources

Book
Your Child at Play Two to Three Years: Growing Up, Language, and the Imagination by Marilyn Segal $18.95
Pretend play should be child-initiated. However, if your child is having trouble getting started, here are some great ideas for games and play. One in a series of books on your child at play. From 0-1, 1-2, 3-5 and 5-8.

Online
Brain Play: Why Preschoolers Need To Pretend
http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/child/behavior/feature/dony29fapretend/dony29fapretend.html
Discusses the benefit of pretend play, how parents can help and suggests inexpensive props to encourage pretend play.

How Your Child Benefits From Play
http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/0_how-your-child-benefits-from-play_64065.pc
How play supports creativity and social/physical/emotional development. Includes ways for parents to help.

Scholastic (two articles)
Benefits of make-believe play, how parents can help, how to pick toys that inspire young imaginations
Endless Possibilities
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=11729

Make the Most of Make Believe
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1581

Ed-Genuity offers a team of education consultants with expertise in areas such as curriculum development, parental involvement, professional development for teachers and counselors, leadership development for administrators and pre-college academic enrichment programs. They have worked extensively with schools, colleges, community organizations and churches. E-mail the Ed-Genuity team at ed_genuity@yahoo.com.


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Let’s Pretend
Sparking Your Child’s Imagination
by: Ed-Genuity Consultants
A young child sings into a big wooden spoon in front of an audience of stuffed animals. Another picks up a stick and becomes a brave Jedi who will save the universe. It’s just child’s play. No big deal. Well, research shows that it is a very big deal indeed. Play is the way children learn. Pretend play builds creative thinking and problem-solving skills. It helps children with self-confidence, language and social skills. Children who spend more time in pretend play increase their ability to concentrate. They are better able to control strong emotions like impulsivity and aggression. Clearly child’s play is more than just fun and games. Here are some tips to inspire your child's imagination. Explore and Create Young children love to play make believe. It’s great fun being a superhero, secret agent, doctor or a parent. However pretending also helps your child work through ideas and feelings about the grownup world. Your young superhero is beginning to learn about good guys and bad guys and what it means to be brave. Play also serves as an outlet for difficult emotions. Make believe lets children process thoughts and feelings that they may not be able to verbally express. Battling bad guys and monsters in the safety of their own room can help children cope with their fears. The little girl punishing her “bad” doll may be trying to make sense of a scolding she just received. Taking on the role of “mommy” helps her build her own self-control. Children get to explore and rehearse life’s roles, rules and values in situations that they create. They become the creators of their own little dramas – building self-esteem. Your child can become anyone (a ballerina) or anything (a talking pony) and exist anywhere (underwater or outer space). It’s no wonder that children who spend lots of time in pretend play score well on tests of creativity. Develop Social Skills We know that academic skills are critical for school success. You might be surprised to learn that good social skills and emotional control may be just as vital. Pretend play seems to foster more cooperation among children than other types of play. When children play other kinds of games, the rules are already set. However, in pretend play the children make the rules and write the story. They have to decide on the characters and the setting. Are we playing nurse, airline pilot, princess or superhero? Are we in a castle, a forest or at the North Pole? What powers does the superhero have? They have to talk and listen to one another to make the story work. Who is going to be the astronaut, and who will be the space alien? What happens if both children want to be the astronaut? If they want to continue playing together, they have to figure out how to resolve their conflict. Make a point of seeking out other children to join your child in pretend play. It’s a great way to teach your child how to get along with others. Encourage Pretend Play Support your child's make-believe play. Let them know that they were a really scary monster, a brave superhero or a good teacher for their dolls. If your young cowboy wants to stay in character, allow him to wear his cowboy hat to the grocery store. Play along. Remember to shout, “giddyup” when you start the car. Give your child blocks of time for imaginative play—a half-hour minimum, an hour or more is best. If your child invites you to join in, go ahead. You don’t want to direct the activity. Follow your child’s lead as much as possible. You are entering your child’s world. It’s your child’s imagination you are trying to inspire, not yours. Create a prop box. Fill it with old clothes like shoes, hats, scarves, belts and shirts for dress up. Throw in boxes of all sizes, paper bags, paper towel rolls, string and building blocks. Add a flashlight, some keys and a toy phone. An old towel can become a head wrap, a cape or a skirt. Sheets and blankets can be thrown over tables or chairs to make a house, a cave or a fort. Don't be concerned if your child doesn't use an object the "right" way. It's OK for that Frisbee to turn into a flying saucer, a dinner plate, a steering wheel or a mighty shield. After all—this is make believe. Young children take in their world best through make-believe play. They are making sense of the world outside while learning to cope with their emotional world within. The children know they are having fun. We know that they are learning and growing. Here are some additional resources to fire up your child’s imagination. Resources Book Your Child at Play Two to Three Years: Growing Up, Language, and the Imagination by Marilyn Segal $18.95 Pretend play should be child-initiated. However, if your child is having trouble getting started, here are some great ideas for games and play. One in a series of books on your child at play. From 0-1, 1-2, 3-5 and 5-8. Online Brain Play: Why Preschoolers Need To Pretend http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/child/behavior/feature/dony29fapretend/dony29fapretend.html Discusses the benefit of pretend play, how parents can help and suggests inexpensive props to encourage pretend play. How Your Child Benefits From Play http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/0_how-your-child-benefits-from-play_64065.pc How play supports creativity and social/physical/emotional development. Includes ways for parents to help. Scholastic (two articles) Benefits of make-believe play, how parents can help, how to pick toys that inspire young imaginations Endless Possibilities http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=11729 Make the Most of Make Believe http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1581 Ed-Genuity offers a team of education consultants with expertise in areas such as curriculum development, parental involvement, professional development for teachers and counselors, leadership development for administrators and pre-college academic enrichment programs. They have worked extensively with schools, colleges, community organizations and churches. E-mail the Ed-Genuity team at ed_genuity@yahoo.com.