If you spend a little more time to observe your toddler during the kids pretend play, you will witness something amazing you will never knew your child able to do it their own way.
Parents shall give opportunity to introduce pretend play when your child has reached his/her toddler stage. Every child wakes up in the morning and start to play. Kids pretend play is so much fun and yet it will eventually develop multiple skills in various essential development areas.
If you have a toddler at home, want to find out about how kids pretend play effect on their physical and intellect development. Please read on.
Kids pretend play
Kids pretend play may be just a part of activities they do when they are in school or at home. You never realize that how important is kids pretend play which may have positive effects towards their mental and physical growth. A simple act, a child able to learn:
1. Using an object to represent something
2. Giving that object a motion or action
There are numbers of essential development happened when they do pretend play:
1. They are able to act like someone else. Example, when they pick up a kid’s phone, they are imitating their parents talking in the phone.
2.When they start mixing around with other children, they learn to take turn, share toys, play together and solving problem too. Therefore, they are also can be social interactive.
3.Through pretend play with other children, they are able to develop social skills, able to interact and negotiate.
4. If involve role taking, kids can use their imagination to make things up in play and a lot of improvisation happened which is a healthy development.
5. Language skills will be improved too. You will never knew they are able to say new words which you have never taught them before! They learn about new words every day from the parents, teachers, caregivers, TV program etc and pretend play provides the opportunity to let them try out what they have learned, using new words.
Benefits of kids pretend play
Learn what they like and experience the world
Kids pretend play can let the child experience and learn about their likes and dislikes, interest and their abilities. With a baby doll, the child is able to express her new ideas. She can comb her hair, drying her hair with hair dryer, put on new clothes, new shoes, feeding her with bottles or cup, wear them with accessories such as necklace, tiara, bracelet and earrings and even put up an makeup.
Learn to work out with uncomfortable scenario
Have you experience your toddler is scared of doing something which they have never seen before? Example, even taking a temperature on the forehead is making her cry out loud. Ya, pretend play can make them understand and explore that scary things are not really scary after all.
Pretend play with a scene of a doctor carries a stethoscope checking heartbeat, use of a thermometer checking body temperature, taking medicine and getting injection is a good example. A child may not like to go see doctor when they are sick, they are afraid of getting injection and seeing doctors and nurses with stethoscope around their neck, they are just terrified.
This pretend play is a way to let child explore the scary scenario and will eventually make them more comfortable and well-prepared for the life events in a better way.
Promote cognitive thinking and problem solving
A big simple paper box can be transformed into a boat, car, bus or even a lion dance whatever your child can imagine. Even my clothes hanger rack can be an ice cream truck! Kids pretend play promotes cognitive thinking and at the same time help them solve problems later on in their lives.
Learn to think of others
Most children are naturally born selfish, it is a way to protect themselves and their belongings. Through kids pretend play, they will also learn to help each other in a team, show empathy on others and understand how other people feel eventually.
Parents’ role
What is parents role? We can do our part by providing them opportunities for imaginative play at home! We can provide them materials such as:
1. Building materials like paper box or plastic crates with no sharp edges
2. Assorted handbags, shoes, clothes, scarves, hats
3. Toy phone, toy vehicles, cooking utensils, makeup brushes, shopping cart, assorted toy food and vegetables
4. Stuffed animal and baby dolls as actors
5. Blankets, pillow, playhouse/play tents
And so much more.
Parents sometimes can be the actors too. Spend some good fun time playing with your kids. Through kids pretend play, parent-child interaction and relationship can be strengthen and it is proven playing together with your kids will have positive effect on long term development to the child.
We will give enough space for them to play. Provision of safe environment so that there will be no accident during the pretend play.
We can read them bedtime story. We can provide them stories book with cartoon characters or superheroes that they like. Story telling can help build up their imagination and engage fully in the pretend play.
Conclusion
Kids pretend play has tons of benefits and you do not have to invest huge amount of money to make it happens. Kids pretend play not only help develop their essential skills which are needed when they grow up.
Please share your experience about how kids pretend play affecting your child’s growth. Does it have a positive approach or vice versa. Put down your comment in the comment box below and we will be happy to hear from you.
Happy reading!
P.S Activities that promote kids cognitive development can be assessed here.