Does your child love to play different characters and dress like them? Have you ever thought, why are they doing this? Or do you wonder if this type of play is good for your children or not? Then don’t worry, maybe your child is doing imaginative play. Imaginative play is a great way to develop your child’s imagination. Imaginative play, or pretend play, is when children presume themselves in different characters. It could be any character from a fairytale, story, or cartoon that they have seen. Children act and behave the same as the characters they pretend to play. Furthermore, they try to imitate the character’s emotions as well.
Imaginative play is significant in a child’s development stage. Through imaginative play, a child learns different valuable life skills like sharing, cooperating, communicating, problem-solving and even dressing. These skills can be learned through lifelong play.
Benefits of imaginative play
If you believe that there are no such advantages of imaginative play among children, then the following are the benefits,
Imaginative play can develop the social and emotional skills of children.
Encourage the development of creativity within children
It can also help children understand things in real life.
Developed communication and language skills.
Help children build relationships with others.
Furthermore, these types of games help children gain confidence.
On top of that, if you want to know what hobbies your child wants to pursue in future, this is the best way to do so.
Age of starting imaginative play
Children at the age of 1 or 2 first started to play imaginatively. As they grow, their playing starts to get more constructed; in other words, they can use different objects to play. You can notice that your child may start having imaginary conversations with their doll, playing, chatting, or doing things like feeding their doll or other things.
Tips to encourage imaginative play in children
Children are innocent, and they learn many things in various ways. One such way is this imaginative play. Here are some tips to encourage children’s imaginative play,
Tell your children stories
The act of storytelling enhances the significance of our childhood. If one can recollect their past, then they may recall the presence of their grandfathers or elders who narrated various tales, such as fairy tales or mythological tales. This storytelling session is an incredibly valuable aspect of our childhood. As it is possible to obtain your preferred tales from your elders, it is advisable to impart some of them to your child as well.
Storytelling sessions encourage imaginative play among the children. Every time they listen to any story, they are also involved and create their own imaginary world in that story. They became their own king or queen of their kingdom. This can help them enhance their creativity and imagination.
Introduce different plush toys
Toys are an essential part of a child’s development. Some toys, like stuffed animals or character toys, promote imaginative play. Introducing such plush toys as stuffed animals, or character toys, can help children create their own world through imaginative play. Plush toys of any particular character or animal can take them to an imaginary world, where they will have the opportunity to fly in their imaginations. Stuffed toys help to promote their language and communication skills. When a child plays with any plush toy, they think of it as their play companion. They started to talk and play with it. They make their own imaginary world around the toy and go on different adventures with the plushie. This makes them feel confident and secure.
In today’s hectic world, if one fails to provide adequate time for their children, then these stuffed toys can serve as a temporary solution. So introduce your children to their favourite stuffed toys as soon as possible. So they can have their best time with them.
Encourage them to ask questions
Toddlers are very likely to ask questions. As they grow and see the world, they have many questions in their minds. And it is a very natural process for every kid at this age to go through this stage of their life. This is a vice-versa process. You can ask your kids questions as well. You can also ask questions about their imaginative play. This can strengthen their creativity.
If they are playing with stuffed animals, then you can question them about that particular animal. So this way, they started to gain more knowledge about various things. It also helps to make bonds stronger with your kid.
Lowest screen time
Nowadays, children are addicted to screens. Excessive use of anything is harmful to anyone. Extreme screen time can restrain a child’s imagination and inventiveness. As per a report, today’s kids spend an average of 6 to 7 hours in front of screens. This can hamper their social and personal lives as well.
Try to limit your child’s screen time. In this way, they can spend their time playing different imaginative games. Parents started to spend more time with them so that they did not feel lonely. Sometimes, out of loneliness, they get attached to screens.
Motivate them to read books
Reading books may unlock a wider world for your child. It also helps them to imagine and play. Reading various books can open a new world to kids. They introduce different characters and get to know their stories. This may help them when they pretend to play, they can be any of the characters and start to act like them. Not only that, but reading may improve their language and communication skills.
You can give them some age-appropriate books so they can easily understand and read the books. There are so many wonderful children’s books out there, you can choose from a wide range. Reading books can fuel lots of imaginative play for kids.
Dress them up in different costumes with props
If you are encouraging their imaginative play, then one of the best ways to do that is to give them some dresses and props that can go with their character. This can motivate them to play more. It gives wings to their imagination. You might be surprised to see their new avatar and creativity.
Inspire to create and build
Children have some natural power of imagination. To encourage their imaginative play, you could give them different wood blocks, craft materials, or construction sets. It will help them to show their creativity.
Kids love to build things like shops, castles, vehicles, etc. Older children love to create something with craft materials. This type of building and creating process teaches them the lesson of problem-solving in real life. It also improves their hand-eye coordination as well.
To encourage your child, you can also be a part of their imaginative play. So they are getting more close to you. This also helps them to play more openly, and you are able to see their power of imagination. It is never too late to start, be a part of their game, and encourage them so they can be more confident and creative in the future.
