How to Use Imaginary Play to Build Your Child’s Capacity for Learning

Imaginary play is fun, and it also is an important learning experience for your older preschooler. 4- and 5-year-olds practice important pre-reading skills, such as how one thing stands for another, how to picture things that are not there or how to imagine what happens next. When your preschooler is imagining, she is thinking abstractly and learning that words actually represent ideas. Social skills such as empathy also develop through imaginary play, as children literally put themselves “in another person’s shoes.” Research has shown that children who are active in pretend play are usually happier, more cooperative, better able to share and take turns, and have bigger vocabularies. Imaginary play is a crucial part of preschooler's intellectual and social development, and it helps to get them ready for school.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dress-up box
• Crafts box
• Containers to use as musical instruments
• Blanket(s)
• Your imagination

1. Stock a “dress-up box” with lots of items to encourage imaginary play. It doesn’t need to be complicated--hats, scarves, costume jewelry, ribbons, tool belts, purses and other carry bags, and whatever else you can think of. Also include toy household items--phone, vacuum, tool box, plastic foods, dolls (and their beds, clothing, strollers), stuffed animals, toy trucks and action figures. The simplest items can spawn an afternoon of make believe.

2. Turn a bin into a “crafts box,” stocked with a variety of materials to encourage drawing and scribbling (that is, with crayons, paper, markers, sparkles and finger paints). Encourage your child to describe or tell a story about her artwork--you can write down the words for her.

3. Make music using found objects--fill a container with rice or beans so that it makes noise when shaken, use a cardboard tube as a horn or wooden spoons on a plastic container make a drum.

4. Building a fort is often the spark for rich creative play. Drape a blanket over a table, or between 2 chairs, and your child will immediately start creating a story for this magical space.

5. Play along--and ask questions--when your child has created an imaginary scenario.

Tips & Warnings

• Some resources to use as jumping off points for imaginary play with your child:
• “The Upside Down Show,” an educational preschool television program that airs on Noggin, takes imaginary play to whole new levels (including the introduction of an imaginary remote control), teaches complex vocabulary (horizontal/vertical, minute/humongous), and relational concepts (near/far, above/below). (See Resources.)
• “Harold and the Purple Crayon” is a classic (1955) picture book that celebrates imaginary play as Harold draws his way through an adventure. (See Resources.)
• “Not a Box,” a contemporary picture book, also celebrates imaginary play as a bunny explains the various fantastic permutations he imagines for his plain cardboard box. (See Resources.)
• Don’t make the mistake of being “too busy” when your child invites you to join into an imaginary game or scenario. Play is children’s work, and this is how he makes sense of the bigger world. When you engage, you are helping your preschooler learn, as well as having fun.

Resources

• The Upside Down Show
• Harold and the Purple Crayon
• Not a Box
• Sesame Street, Imaginary Shoes