by Janice Davis
Janice Davis is a primary school teacher who has a real love and passion for learning and teaching. This passion followed her into motherhood as she found herself creating and developing new ideas and activities all the time. Learning 4 Kids focuses on the importance of learning through play and sharing these ideas, activities and information with other families. To find out more, visit the Learning 4 Kids website.
Adults often undervalue imaginative play. Play is a child’s way of engaging and making sense of the world. Role play may appear to be a very simple activity, yet within it, young children learn practical life skills such as dressing themselves or how to cooperate and share with others.
What is Imaginative play? Essentially it's when children role play and act out experiences they may have had, or something that interests them. They're experimenting with decision making, and also practising their social skills. Children learn from experience: from what happens around them, from what they see, hear, smell, taste and touch. To absorb those experiences and make sense of the world, they need to be engaged in imaginary play.
There are several things parents can do to enhance their child's imaginative play.
Provide props and toys - To help promote imaginary play, we can supply props and toys. Cardboard boxes can become anything in the imaginary world. I've seen them become computers, cash registers, and beds for sick animals. Provide a dress ups box full of clothes, scarves, hats, handbags, shoes and wigs. Dress ups are irresistible to young children to spark the imagination. Consider creating a props box filled with toys, objects and props to encourage your child's fantasy world. You might include: washing baskets, pretend plastic flowers, old telephones, stuffed animals and dolls, blankets, plastic crockery and cutlery.
Be your child’s playmate – Kids love to play with their parents! When your children bring you a pretend cup of tea, play along and ask for a cookie or a teaspoon of sugar. Show an interest in what they're doing and tell them that they are a wonderful chef and that they make the best tea! This helps to develop the story and encourage imagination, but lets your children be in charge. Arrange play dates with children of a similar age so they can support each other’s imaginative play.
Imaginative play is beneficial for children because:
- It provides opportunities for children to identify with the adult world and to work out problems and experiment with solutions.
- It develops social skills: practising negotiation skills, turn taking and sharing.
- It enhances emotional development. Kids gain an understanding of their feelings through the re-enactment of certain experiences.
- It encourages imagination: Children can be anyone and do anything in the pretend world.
- It promotes taking on roles that encourage discipline and empathy.
- It develops language skills: practising listening, looking and talking. Kids also develop an understanding of what is being communicated through body language such as smiles and nodding.