Halloween is coming up and witches and superheroes will be coming out to play. Halloween is a cultural ritual around fear, but its lighter side is a celebration of imagination, creativity, and play-acting. As adults, many of us have lost the joy of imaginary play, but it is your child's native language in the early years – and has has lots of important brain benefits. Plus, when you can get into character and meet your child in their fantasy world, it's an opportunity for shared fun and priceless bonding.
Pretend play starts as very young children mimic the actions and behaviors they see around them. It is how they make sense of the world.
As they get older, they begin to create fantasy scenarios during play. This can cause worry that fantasy takes away time and energy from learning about the real world, or may even confuse kids as to what is real and what's not. However, studies have shown the opposite to be the case. Even children as young as pre-school don't believe that fantastical things they see in stories could actually happen in real life – ie, they don't think that dragons are really real, or that they could jump on a lizard and fly.
And, research shows there are many benefits to imaginary play. Creative play encourages a broad range of thinking, which is often applicable to "real" tasks. When they engage in pretend play, young children become:
more creative and flexible in their thinking
more verbal as they learn new words
better regulated emotionally, and exhibit more empathy
more socially aware as they negotiate roles with peers, agree on rules, share and take turns
Dress-up and play acting can also be important for your child's developing identity. It allows kids to try out roles from the grand (princesses! superheroes!) to the mundane ("I'll be the big sister, and you be the mommy,") and they learn about different people and social roles.
As children reach preschool age, another big benefit comes when imaginary play is shared with others – siblings, friends, and parents. Co-creating an imaginary world, working out its rules, and sustaining the narrative together are complex social tasks for your child to negotiate with peers. Doing so fosters deep bonding, as the players become co-owners of a shared creation. For parents, play worlds provide a time and space when you and your child can be equals – or indeed, you can let them be more powerful. This is a refreshing role reversal for both of you, providing an antidote to the majority of the time when you are calling the shots.
With all these benefits in mind, support and join your child in the wonder of their imaginary play!