WHY PRETEND PLAY IS THE BEST KIND OF PLAY?

I have a confession to make: I hate role play. If I had to pick something that I really don’t like to play with my son, it has to be it! I am game any time if he wants to create mess with art, I am happy to build elaborate castles and ball runs with him, or I can cuddle anytime and read a story – but playing doctors or firefighters, and acting out the very same scene for the fifteenth time (without, of course, any leeway for improvisation) is not my kind of thing. After digging myself into the thick literature of play development though, I try to put aside my aversion and well… pretend I love pretend play for his sake. Because the thing is, role playing is incredibly important for children!

A child’s pretend play is often considered fun and imaginative, but somehow we adults tend to think it has limited educational value. After all puzzles, number or spelling games are surely more useful, no? Well, not necessarily! In fact, recent research has been showing that free, child-led imaginative play, including role play has many benefits and it is one of the best way children can learn and build essential skills the early years. Not to mention it is a very useful emotional outlet for them.  

The Developmental Benefits of Role Play

Our children are like little sponges: they observe us with their inner camera, absorb all the information and language around them. And then they try to make sense of all of it through play. They need to practice all the ideas and language they are picking up – and the playroom provides them a safe environment to gain confidence. There is no risk of getting it wrong, being judged or laughed at – after all it is just play and in play anything is allowed! So role play makes children ready: think of it as a rehearsal for the real life!

1. Role playing improves communication and language skills.

Dramatic play is a real powerhouse for language development. Children are amazing at picking up words they hear us using. Role play helps to understand them the power of language, how to use these words in various scenarios and what effect it has on other people. When they have just learnt an elaborate expression from a bedtime story, or picked up an adult-sounding dialogue from us, they can immediately put it to use and practice during their play. If they do it as a social activity they can also learn new language from each other. An involvement of an older child or adult can help them even more to refine, structure and reinforce the language. Imaginative play is also helpful in the development of body language and other forms of metacommunication: this can range from knowing when to smile, to showing confidence with their posture.

2. Role playing deepens their understanding of the adult world. And of themselves.

It is not only language that children – quite literally – play around with, but also the ideas. Children do not, and cannot only learn by observing – they always learn the best through doing. So through re-enacting everyday or fictional situations, experiences they are working hard on understanding and making sense of their observations. They try to understand what has just happened with the egg when mum used the kitchen mixer, what dentists do with those intriguing tools; or how actually shopping works. And all these kind of scenarios further present educational possibilities – yes, those, which as adults we can be so focused on! Beating an egg might naturally bring on a conversation about physics, chemistry or heathy eating. Or during pretend shopping, basic maths and financial numeracy skills can be established.

Beside learning about the world, dramatic play experiences are some of the first ways children learn about themselves: their own likes and dislikes, their interests, and their abilities, too. It reinforces self-awareness and confidence.

3. Role playing fosters problem-solving and fires up creativity and imagination.

Pretend play provides children with a variety of problems to solve. Whether it’s figuring out how to respond to different imaginary scenarios within the game; or trying to tackle a real problem that comes up during play – like searching for the just right material to make a roof for the house – our children call upon important cognitive thinking skills they will use the rest of their life. They learn to plan and choose materials for their creations, they naturally investigate with the materials in their environment, and connect ideas to come up with new things. Imaginative play is the root of creativity and innovation: children do not only learn about the world around them, but also start creating new ones. We are pretty sure that landing on the moon started out as a child’s fantasy in the playroom!

4. pretend play helps the development of social and emotional skills. 

Many times, dramatic play is a social activity – so children inevitably end up sharing ideas and engaging in cooperation with one another. They learn how to interact, to make rules that everybody agrees on, to take turns, to share, to plan and make decisions. These are all skills that will be all crucial in later life!  Playing with peers can also create situations in which not everyone might get what they wish for. For example, when more than one child wants to be the shop assistant, the child who does not get what he wants needs to learn how to manage his unpleasant emotions for the play to continue.

Imaginative play also helps to foster empathy and build friendships, allowing children to learn to take into consideration other people’s points of view and feelings. But even solo role-play can help build those skills – by stepping into someone else’s shoes through enacting their role children will learn a deeper understanding of others.

5. Role playing supports physical development.

Galloping around on pretend horses climbing, climbing then sliding down as firefighters, or fighting with pirates – we could bring many other examples to show that pretend play is often physical and a great way to develop gross motor skills. But you don’t have to think big: even the simple act of changing a doll’s dress, mixing imaginary soup, dish out coins to pay for items all encourage refining children’s movement. Strengthening all the muscles in little hands are ultimately more important to later writing skills than teaching the ABC at this age, for instance! We believe if children let play freely, they will be naturally drawn to things which are beneficial for their development!

6. Dramatic play is therapeutic.

And while we often talk about all the cognitive benefits of play, we shouldn’t forget about something equally important: it provides an emotional outlet for children. It can simply be therapeutic! A child who had an uncomfortable experience with the visit to the doctor, or trying to process an arrival of a new baby into the family can tackle their own emotions and even overcome fears or traumas through play. By expressing themselves symbolically, children are able to separate themselves from complex feelings that are too difficult for them to directly understand and handle.

Photography: Edina Mocz-Horvath (Hungary). All right reserved.

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