Pretend Play Can Take Me Away

Pretend play is an important milestone in your child’s overall development.  Through pretend play he has the opportunity to become anything he wants to be without judgment.  Your child can become a firefighter or a mommy preparing dinner for her baby.  It’s a chance to act of real-life situations that he has encountered.  Your preschoolers can take on new roles and responsibilities in a playful way.  Pretend play can be as simple as your child pretending to drink tea from a cup to as complex as being a pirate commanding a pirate ship.

My nephew was infatuated with airplanes.  He hopped up on the edge of the arm of the sofa, put on his pretend ear plugs, shoved a small plastic bat into the cushion of the sofa to become the plane’s shifter.  His voice changed as he created a reenactment of a pilot flying through the air.  His parents encouraged his pretend play by pretending to be air traffic control and by praising him for doing such a great job.  My nephew’s face showed sheer happiness during his pretend play episodes, which were fully tolerated by all.  This scenario is a perfect example of pretend play without play partners.

You can encourage pretend play in your home by making open-ended materials always available to your child.  Materials such as blocks, clay, sheets, art supplies and boxes can spark your child’s imagination and lead to pretend play.  You give him items found all over your home for an imaginary play scene. A plastic bowl can become a hardhat for a construction worker.  An empty brown box can become a racecar with the use of a plate as a steering wheel. You just have to think outside the box!

When my children were younger one of the most memorable pretend play scenes they created was a pet store.  We never really had pets even though they loved the furry friends such as cats and dogs,. In fact, they often begged for a puppy.  All of their stuffed animals suddenly came to life as they created a pet store complete with cages.  Each animal had their own little square home that they built using blocks.  My oldest daughter used inventive spelling to write names and prices for each pet.  My younger daughter was in charge of the cash register.  My husband and I came to the pet store as customers.  The children were delighted with our silly questions and uncertainty as to what pet would be best for us.  They happily guided us to a good decision and made sure we had all the extra things a pet would need such as a bed, food and some toys.  My youngest even bagged up our purchases after we completed the transaction!  They played  for hours as they switched roles and responsibilities.  It was delightful to watch them experience such joy through play.  Enjoy and cherish the pretend play you see develop in your child.