The Importance of Imaginary Play
Lately, we have seen so much research on the “over scheduled child” and how important play is. In my previous post about The Danish Way of Parenting, I mentioned the importance of imaginative play. What is imaginative play?
Imaginative play is an opportunity for children to take on a different role and act out various scenarios. A child can be a chef in the kitchen, a bunny in the woods, a doctor at the hospital.
Why does imaginary play matter?
Imaginary play is so important for social emotional development. Imaginary play is a mistake free opportunity to try something out. Often children will take things they know from real life, specifically recent life experiences and try out different ways to process or respond to situations that arise. What happens when the dentist comes in to clean your teeth? How do you cook an egg? How would your friend feel if you yelled at them? Imaginary play allows a child to process their world and gain a better understanding of how to handle situations that arise.
Imaginary play is also an opportunity for children to be creative. They can create their own world, their own friend, their own job. It is an opportunity to take what they know in society and turn it into something meaningful to them.
Ways to help promote imaginary play:
Create space- by giving your child unstructured time you will give them the opportunity and space they need for imaginary play.
Provide materials- if your child is particularly interested in a specific area help them come up with materials. A cup, a chair, a stick can magically become a hat, a bus and a wand.
Play- If your child invites you to play with them, role play with them. Taking turns being the doctor, the teacher, the firefighter. Engage with them, ask questions and help them work through different scenarios.
Here are a few of my favorite imaginary play items:
Doctor:
Kitchen:
Community Helpers: