Why is pretend play so important?
- It helps improve language skills
- It helps improve social skills
- It helps improves thinking skills
Play Strategies
- Guide the play without taking part in the play
- You don’t need to take on a pretend role
- Talk to your child as if you were talking to the character he is role-playing (e.g. Talk to him as if he was Elmo)
- Make suggestions that encourage your child to use pretend play and interact with peers
- Guide the play while you take part in the play
- Model pretend play
- Play the director’s role to create the theme (e.g. Baby play, car play) and guide the play
- Encourage your child to participate throughout the play
- Follow your child’s lead
- Join in and add to your child’s pretend play
- Model play behaviours that expands the play
- Encourage more conversation within pretend roles
- Add ideas to expand on the play
- Encourage play during sensory activities
- When playing with sand, you can make a tunnel, a bridge…
- When playing with playdough, you can make cupcakes, a snowman…