Children can learn by imagining. Have you ever watched your child pick up a stone and pretend it is a zooming car, or hop a Lego across the table as if it were a person or a bunny? Your child is using an object to represent something else while giving it action and motion. But this pretend play is not as simple as it may seem. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas.
Preschool and kindergarten classrooms usually have a well-equipped dramatic play area, and this is quite intentional. Research has shown that
pretend play provides children with a microcosm for life that encourages them to take the skills they have learned in classroom lessons and apply them to meaningful life activities. It is believed that this process of application helps your child not only develop a skill, but learn how to use it in life.
Nurture the ImaginationNot enough pretend play at your house? Consider creating a prop box or corner filled with objects to spark your preschooler's fantasy world. You might include:
* Large plastic crates or a large, empty box for creating a "home"
* Old clothes, shoes, backpacks, hats
* Old telephones, phone books, magazines
* Cooking utensils, dishes, plastic food containers, table napkins, silk flowers
* Stuffed animals and dolls of all sizes
* Fabric pieces, blankets or old sheets for making costumes
* Writing materials for taking phone messages and making shopping list
