Good Parenting

Have you ever watched children playing? It is really quite fascinating. They seem to envelop into their own little worlds creating songs and carrying on their own conversations. There is a term for this type of playing. It is known as pretend play or creative play. Not only is it fun for children but also has several developmental advantages. Creative play develops a child’s imagination, inspires their creativity and enhances social development. We will discuss these advantages in more detail and discover the uniqueness of pretend play.

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Children sometimes seem to be in their own little worlds. And in truth, they probably are. But while we wish for them to become more focused, this type of imaginary play can be considered a good thing. A child’s imagination enhances their brain activity. While they are playing in their imaginary worlds, they are thinking and using reasoning skills. Children will develop their own situations and come up with a solution. This causes them to have to use different sides of the brain just like in school. If you look at it this way, your toddler could be learning as much as your school age children. They are just learning differently, but it is equally important.

Pretend play inspires creativity. This seems to be a simple statement, but it has a lot of meaning. We want our children to be productive, well rounded people. This includes seeing to their creative side. All children are creative in some form or fashion. They may enjoy art and music or they may like to use their hands to build and take things apart. Through a child’s pretend play, we can see what children enjoy. If you give them a variety of toys, they will naturally gravitate to one or two objects. These would be the objects that they pick up every day and enjoy the most. But by giving them the option to explore their creativity, we are allowing our children freedom and the opportunity to grow.

As adults, we encounter social situations every day. Children also come across different social situations. They may participate in play groups or interact with children at school and day care. This interaction is crucial to their social development. Watch a group of children. Despite what they have to play with, they will create their own activities and situations that include each other. By participating in group pretend play, children learn to relate in social situations. This will ultimately contribute to their adult lives and experiences. Creative play can be an invaluable tool by allowing children to create different experiences.

We have covered several different advantages to pretend play. These advantages include developing a child’s imagination, inspiring creativity and enhancing social development. Allow your child to explore and learn through the fun activities of creative play. It will be beneficial for them and rewarding for you.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 10:01 pm and is filed under Good Parenting.