Pretend play, what is it and how does it benefit your child. Well this week I am going to help you understand the benefits and provide you some of the ways we encourage our children to use their imagination through pretend play.
There are so many reasons why encouraging pretend play is beneficial to your children. So strap yourself in and get ready to take a ride with your little one to help encourage..
- Imagination and creativity
- support social and emotional development
- develop thinking, learning and problem solving skills
- enhance physical development
Check out some of the fun pretend play ideas we have found work with our girls.
In the car
The car ride to and from daycare or school is the perfect opportunity to communicate with your child and have some fun. Ask your child what they want to be when they grow up? A doctor, a teacher, a zoo keeper, a dentist, your child might even throw a curveball at you like Macy did to us with wanting to be a mermaid. Whatever they decide, ask them how they think the role will run and ask them to show you how they would work in that position. Help them by playing along as a patient, student or maybe a fish in the sea with the mermaid.
At the park
A fun game to play at the park to encourage pretend play, use of their imagination, thinking and problem solving, is an oldie but a goodie and that is the 'crocodile game'. Do you remember the days at school, standing on the benches while one person walked between pretending to be the crocodile. Encourage your child to jump from one bench seat to another while you pretend to be the crocodile looking for it's daily dinner. If your child misses the bench and lands on the ground, they become the new crocodile.
At home
Home is the hardest place to encourage pretend play, I hear you say, between loads of washing, dishes, cleaning floors, making meals and everything else that comes with parenting. But just think about it... while you are cooking dinner, why not give your child some plastic cutlery, a bread board and some pretend food and ask them to cook some dinner too. While you are washing the laundry, ask them if they want to wash their dollies clothes too.
On their own
I'm hearing you though, as a working mum, running a business and raising two girls, life can become rather busy and so some time out is required as parents too. There are so many benefits to children playing on their own also and that is why the Little Adventurers Play Couch is perfect for independent pretend play. Whether your child wants to create a tea party with their dolls, fly to space in their rocket ship, create a superhero lair or drive a racing car, the Little Adventurers play couch has unlimited opportunities for them to use their imagination to take them on a different adventure every day. Shop the range of Little Adventurers play couches here.
