The Power of Pretend
Written By Sienna Craig
With so many toys to choose from and a whole range of technology aimed at keeping children occupied, the list of ways to entertain children becomes longer, while their attention span seems to become increasingly shorter.
So, what’s the solution? While there’s a range of ways we encourage children to engage in play perhaps the most valuable is creating space for pretend play. By engaging a child’s imagination, we invite them into a world with no limitations, stretched as far as the mind will take you, and like any muscle the imaginative brain needs exercise to expand and develop. Let’s look at some ways we can strengthen this skill:
Story Telling
Story telling is the perfect introduction into the world of imagination for young children; when you read a story, you’re not just saying words out loud, you’re painting pictures in their minds. Each word acts like a brushstroke, creating vivid scenes, characters, and adventures that might be far beyond their current reality. This process encourages children to dream and think beyond the boundaries of their everyday experiences. It’s like giving wings to their thoughts, allowing them to soar to new
Share your imagination…
…and don’t be afraid to dive into theirs; at first, you may need to instigate pretend play by inviting your child into a play scenario like playing shops, or cooking in the sandpit, but before long your child will prompt you. A simple line like “Oh no! A dinosaur! Lets hide” leaves you with two choices, you can jump into a world where a dinosaur may very well eat you but not if you make a super fort or a special potion or… you can say, “that’s just the lawn mower” and the game is over before it began.
Dress Up’s
Dress up’s are a great way to help bring imagination to life, starting with themed dress up’s that suit your child’s interests such as superhero costumes or fairy wings as an introduction. Now, while these costumes are a great way to get used to dramatic pretend play, they can also be limiting since putting on a superhero costume tells you what is expected. On the other hand, stocking a pretend play closet or dress up box with real life clothing and accessories promotes pretend play as limitless as a child’s imagination. Here you can see a child wearing a suit jacket, with a matching hat and bag, but the rain stick held in the other hand has been reimagined into a walking stick and the child is channelling “a grampa” as he grumpily tells his peers “This is my house” in his deepest voice.
So, if you find yourself looking to increase your child’s attention span while helping them develop a range of cognitive skills that will benefit them through their school years and into adulthood, you needn’t look too far, you’ll find a whole world of imagination ready to be unlocked right under your nose. and if your books and dress up’s need restocking, check your local op shop for a whole range of treasures, or treasure maps, leading to exciting new worlds.