What is pretend play?
Pretend play or pretend & play, also known as imaginative play, is a style of play in which children can try on different roles.
It can include pretend play or dressing up, such as sailing on a cardboard ship, cooking an imaginary dinner, or putting on adult clothes and “going to work.”
Toys such as pretend food, action figures, cars, and dress-up costumes can all help to encourage pretend play. However, they aren’t required; in fact, employing simple things with no stated purpose encourages children to think more creatively. A pail of leaves can be a soup pot, a laundry basket can be an aeroplane, and a stack of pillows can be a mountain.
Furthermore, your tiny dreamer’s social discovery can begin long before she can see herself as a teacher or a soccer star.
What are the benefits of pretend play?
Pretend play encourages your child’s inventiveness and curiosity, which should come as no surprise. That is, after all, merely the tip of the iceberg. Imaginative play, especially in toddlerhood and beyond, is critical for helping children develop vital life skills.
Enhances self-control abilities
When pretending, participants must collaborate to come up with fictional scenarios and select who would play which roles. This can lead to frustrating sentiments, which toddlers and preschoolers must learn to deal with.
Builds relationships
The act of creating a new environment draws gamers closer together and allows them to understand more about one another. Parental involvement, in particular, facilitates give-and-take exchanges that serve to develop connections.
Teaches about difficult feelings
Pretend play allows youngsters to explore and work through difficult or frightening situations such as going to the doctor or starting daycare or preschool.
Encourages language and communication skills
Creating scenarios and negotiating the rules necessitates the use of increasingly complicated language and concepts.
How to encourage pretend play?
You can easily encourage your kiddo to pretend & play through these creatively amazing toys by Mumtree:
Bake my cake
- Bake my cake combines pretend play with educational activities while entertaining your child as he plays with elements from the book in real life.
- A great way for kids of 3+ to develop their communication and imagination skills.
Thirsty-Crow in the City
- Thirsty-Crow in the City engages your child with an emotional and graphic story of Thirsty-Crow by hearing, viewing, or reciting the story from Crow’s perspective, solving the puzzle, or pretending and playing with the crow.
- A great toy for developing your child’s cognitive & communication Skills by solving the wooden puzzle in the form of a crow’s journey to the city.
During her first few years of life, your child’s imagination will grow by leaps and bounds, but pretend & play is always beneficial at any age and stage.
Start early by nourishing your baby’s ability for pretend play and social interaction — and watch your efforts pay off in the form of a comprehensive checkup by your “doctor” or a delicious mud cake baked with loads of love in the years to come.