Once Upon a Time...

The Importance of Pretend Play

By John Lee

"Imaginative play is a precursor of conceptual thought – in which possibilities are explored upon the inner 'stage' of a child's imagination." – Erik Erikson

To all the flash card fans and fact drillers out there, the statement I am about to make may shock you: For young children, developing imagination is an important way to gain knowledge.

You read correctly – and I'm not alone in this quest to elevate imaginative play to its rightful place alongside knowing ABCs or numbers or reading before the age of 3.

Many experts agree on the lifetime value of developing imagination. Yale University child development psychologists Dorothy and Jerome Singer say, "A critical feature of adult life is our ability to create stories we tell ourselves about possible futures and ways of attaining our goals. Children need to get an early start in such inner storytelling and mental manipulation of various situations."

Through play, children express the world inside them and order the world outside. Children's minds are amazing when at work, especially those minds that don't know the "right way to play." Those children find paths to discovery and understanding, marching to the beat of their own drummers, and along the way they open the door to independence, self-confidence and unlimited potential.

Open-ended play encourages this highly individual experience and is fueled by imagination. Toys that leave room for a child's input and creative imagination are the ones that they return to over and over again – they are captivating, enduring.

It's important to start kids on the right road to imaginative play from their earliest months of infancy. The Singers point out recent research that shows children who are encouraged in imaginative play prove to be more creative a few years later, have a richer vocabulary, are less impulsive and aggressive and often become leaders with their playmates.

Want to see more?

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• A Roll of the Dice: Is Your Child Ready for Board Games?
• Talk about it!