Children are natural at playing and pretending! Whether it’s using a remote as a microphone or a dinner plate as a steering wheel, role play allows children to enhance their skills for healthy social development as well as ignite imagination and creativity. Role play is also a way for children to learn, because if you do not know already, playing is learning. Role and imaginative playing help children make sense of the world around them.
One of my favorite memories as an Early Head Start teacher was when one of my parents shared how her daughter arranged all her stuffed animals in a circle and pretended to read to them. When she asked what her daughter was doing, the daughter replied “I’m being Ms. Rita!” She was obviously reenacting the daily Circle Times we did while she was at school. Not only was that a boost to my ego, but it also reinforced how children are constantly in a state of absorbing and learning from us grown-ups, and how it is important for us to model positive behavior.
A couple of tips to remember when encouraging your child in role playing is to participate and to let them lead. You can act as narrator – for example, say, “Oh, I see you are cooking; can you tell me what you are making?” or “I like the way you are taking care of your little baby; can you tell me about your baby?” It lets your little one know you are proud of what they are doing and enjoy spending time with them.
I will conclude with a quote from author Llyod Alexander: fantasy is hardly an escape from reality; it’s a way of understanding it.
- Rita Fofah, Children’s Area Supervisor, Martin Regional Library
Photo: Creative Commons "Child 1" by Tony Trần is marked with CC BY-NC 2.0.