imaginative play

People commonly think of child’s play as common physical activity, such as riding bikes, exploring their surroundings, and swinging etc. But physical play is most certainly not the only kind of play. We often use the terms pretend play or make-believe play (the mimicking of stories which involve multiple perspectives and the fun filled interpretations of ideas and emotions), that reflect an important feature of the child’s cognitive and social development. Within the past seventy-five years a number of theorists and researchers have realized the importance of such imaginative play as a vital portion of the normal development of a child.

The research has shown multiple benefits linked directly to imaginative play, mostly from the ages one and a half to six. The studies have demonstrated that cognitive benefits occur such as linguistic ability increasing, such as adjectives, past and future tenses, and subjunctives. Even a child’s ability to understand that their thoughts may differ from another persons thoughts can increase, all through imaginative play! Now knowing some of the benefits that can be gained from imaginative play, I'll list a few play ideas.

Using felt food is an incredible way to open up many imaginative play opportunities. They could pretend to be a food merchant, a pizza chef, or have a dinner party! A fantastic and affordable source for felt food is http://www.etsy.com/shop/carmencreatives. The opportunities are endless when you and your child put your heads together and brainstorm fun ideas!http://www.etsy.com/shop/carmencreatives