Pretend play

It is the most complex level of play involving the cognitive ability to think of an idea, create a play scenario, find materials and props and negotiate with peers,
It consists of children imagining and inventing a make-believe situation that goes beyond the literal and is unseen by those not involved in the play,
For example, they may be sat by a pond with a stick, but the stick is their magic sword and they are waiting to slay the monster lurking in the water.
It is unique due to the three key skills that children require:
- Objects are substituted, e.g. a stick for a fishing rod, a box for a bed,
- Properties are attributed to objects, e.g. dolly is hungry, the truck has broken down,
- Objects are imagined to be there, e.g. a large crevice they must jump over, a dragon that must be fought.

Why pretend play is important

Pretend play promotes the development of:

Language skills,
Narrative language,
Abstract thought,
Logical sequential thought,
Creation of stories,
Social competence,
Self-regulation,
Emotional regulation,
Self-control.

Impact of pretend play upon learning

Children with elaborate pretend play skills score higher in the cognitive skills of:

Ability to think flexibly,
Problem solving,
Logical sequencing,
Oral language,
Rational thinking,
Organisation of thoughts,
Social interaction,
Grammatical knowledge,
Semantic language ability (the understanding and appropriate use of words, phrases, sentences etc),
Narrative language ability (the ability to develop a story including characters, dialogue, solution, ending etc.),
Semantic organisation (the way a person organises knowledge and makes sense of the world.

These skills promote school readiness and ability to learn effectively in the classroom. They also promote social interaction and lead to less disruption during break times.