Remember creating a “fort” out of blankets in the house or over the clothes line? Maybe it was a can to can string phone? Pretend Play does great things for your child’s brain! Playing “dress up” or “tea party” or “Pirates” is very important “work” for their developing brains.
What is Pretend Play?
Children learn through imaging and doing. While they play, they test what they have learned from talking with parents and watching the world around them and make it their own– how things work, and what doesn’t.
Playing face to face, with your child– encouraging them to lead and explore, with you as a playmate following and their lead– gives you a window into the way their brain is learning about the world.
Often it involves new uses for common items. Remember how they can get hours of fun out of empty boxes? Sometimes they prefer the box the toy comes in to the toy itself. Their brains love being creative with bowls, spoons, blankets, wood blocks, puppets, dolls, play figures and dress-up clothes.
How can play boost the brain?
They actually learn to solve problems, coordinate, cooperate, and think flexibly while “building” a post office in the family room, creating a restaurant, clomping around in grown-up shoes, becoming a pirate or teacher of stuffed animals, or building a stick and rock structure outdoors. What fun to exercise their growing imagination as the sandbox becomes a dinosaur bone excavation site!
Play with your child!
How do I play with my young child to build her brain?
Parent sets up the play environment but lets the child determine the course of play. The parent doesn’t model or drive the interaction, but follows and responds to the child’s choices
Pediatrician, Dr. Dipesh Navsaria says, “Children need to interact with people, not products.” Parent-child interaction is our most effective brain building activity. He suggests scaffolding play. When we resist the urge to tell them what to do, how to play; their brains kick into action. Encourage exploration and laugh together when things don’t turn out as planned. Ask, “What could we try to make that work?” rather than suggesting a solution. When they come up with it themselves-especially after many attempts– they will be justifiably satisfied.
Scaffolding builds on what the child has already figured out—using open-ended questions to move them to the next level. Help him go from “what he knows” to “what else could he know?” Let her lead the play – who says what, and the unfolding story.
Add Music
Music and movement ramp up brain building benefits. Make up songs together about what’s going on. Find ways to sing and dance while picking up toys, bath time, sorting laundry, cooking and anything else making it fun. Call and answer sounds and gestures, move to music by skipping, hopping, galloping, or twirling. There are no limits! Pretending with music, movement and laughter will grow brain connections while you make marvelous memories! Pretend play needs flexible time. Maybe leave the make-shift post office set up for a few days so the play option remains. Concepts they learn for themselves will last, and your relationship will grow. Great investment!
Resources:
Dr. Navsaria – http://www.navsaria.com/home/index.html
Bright Horizons – http://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/e-family-news/2013-importance-of-pretend-play-in-child-development/
Pretend Play- http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/creativity-play/importance-pretend-play
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Sidebar
Remember these 5 steps to help build your child’s brain.
- Look Look into their eyes and follow what they are looking at even before they can talk.
- Follow Let them lead play while you follow, responding to their words, sounds, actions and ideas
- Chat Talk (or sing) out loud to them about what you are doing together.
- Take Turns Encourage them to watch and copy you talking, playing or exploring, and you do the same.
- Stretch Ask “open” questions Build on what your child says by asking “open questions” like “What do you think about that?” “How do you feel about…?”
Adapted from downloadable tips from Vroom: Brain Building Basics
http://www.joinvroom.org/sites/default/files/Vroom%20Brain%20Building%20Basics_1.pdf