Four Processes of Pretend Play and Why It is Important Did you know that children typically progress through age-related ‘stages’ or ‘levels’ of pretend play, based on four processes? Piaget described three cognitive processes of pretend play and Nicolich proposed the fourth process. You may ask why you need to know this information? The reason is that […]
Pretend Play Fishing Indoor Play Do you find that your children love pretend play? Here at our house, it is the NUMBER ONE activity for the younger children and always has been. Whether it be playing house, school or doctor the children become lost in the art of play. Today, we went on a “camping” […]
The Batman Effect in Children Have you ever heard of the Batman effect in children? I had not until I read a recent article in the Wall Street Journal about the power of pretend play. It discusses recent research supporting the theory that children who pretend they are superheroes do better on measures of self-control and […]
Focus on Pretend Play to Help with Early Literacy During early literacy, it is important for young children to develop personal responses to written text. Past research indicated that story play contributes to construction of meaning. A form of symbolic play directly related to children’s literature is book related pretend play. This type of play […]
We all know how much children love to play pretend. We all know unicorns are pretend. So why not set up some fun unicorn pretend play ideas! Here are some amazing projects to help spark some ideas. Of course, the best way to encourage pretend play in children is to put out some props and […]
The Journal of Experimental Psychology published research on 110 children between the ages of 3 and 5 years who were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: fantastical pretend-play intervention, non-imaginative play intervention, or business-as-usual control in order to determine the relationship between fantasy orientation and executive function. The results indicated the following regarding pretend […]
These pretend play Secret Agent missions encourage children’s literacy skills, creativity, imagination and physical activity all while having FUN! Download these 3 free missions from the Pretend Play Secret Agent packet. Get more information on the complete Secret Agent Packet below from Growing Play. DOWNLOAD SECRET SPY MISSIONS. Secret Agent Packet – includes secret agent oaths, club, handshakes, secret codes, […]
How cute is this pretend play passport? Start your imaginary travels off by creating this passport. Just print and set off on your adventure. This freebie is from the Transportation Pretend Play Packet. Kids of all ages will love this new download! Download your FREE Pretend Passport. Preview all the pages from the Transportation Pretend […]
Merry Christmas again from Growing Play! Here is a great, FREE, Santa pretend play packet to encourage imagination, creativity and fun in children during the Christmas season. Hang up the posters around the room to create different stations. Use the printables at each station to encourage fine motor skills, physical activity and literacy. Super easy, […]
