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Play For Life

November 2006 

November 2006

Play for Life. Imagine That!

There Was a Child Went Forth
There was a child went forth every day,
And the first object he look’d upon,
that object he became,
And that object became part of him
for the day or a certain part of the day,
Or for many years or stretching cycles of years…
-Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass

As a small child, I loved vacuuming day. It was the day that mom would move the coffee table to the side of the room and turn it on its side. Some days my brother and I would make a fort by adding a blanket and some pillows. On other days, we would take the cover off the stereo turntable and place it on top of the sideways table. A plastic cover and table transformed to the cockpit of our spaceship. Vacuuming day was the day that the coffee table could be anything we wanted it to be. It was the day we could build castles with our minds.

Why do I remember this in my adulthood? This occurred for a variety of reasons. One is that it was so much fun! But also, that type of play was really practice for life. Encouraging your child’s pretend play is not only building precious memories that will last a life time; it is forming the foundation for both creative and logical thinking. Through her imagination your child solves problems and practices outcomes for all types of future experiences.

Parents are generally well aware of the benefits of pretend play for their child’s emotional and social development, but did you know that it can help with discipline and his ability to cope with future situations, something also referred to as resiliency?

When children engage in pretend play, they often like to practice life situations using the “rules” they have been taught. During a tea party with stuffed friends, your preschool may ask everyone to wash hands. Or she may warn her little playmate, “Don’t eat too many treats, or you’ll get a tummy ache.” You may find yourself asking, “Do I really sound like that?”

The point is not what you sound like. It is the fact that they are listening and repeating your rules. Even if they do not always follow the rules themselves, they know what those rules are and re-enact them during play time. It helps them to figure out why the rules make sense in the real world.

Resiliency is a person’s ability to cope with whatever life throws his way. Many experiences–the birth of a sibling, starting child care, Mom going back to work, loss of a pet, moving–can add stress to a preschooler’s life. Pretend play offers a release that can help him overcome fears and misunderstandings about changes that are happening in his environment. And, it allows him to practice ways to solve problems and act out negative emotions such as anger, frustration and sadness in appropriate ways. He is developing scripts for dealing with situations and the emotions that come along with them.

Some great ideas and tips for engaging in play with your preschooler are…

1. Be an invited guest at her tea party. Let her be in charge and make up the rules. She learns that rules make sense this way.
2. Allow your child to transform your furniture into anything he wants it to be. Mom’s coffee table never got damaged by placing it on its side. Also, let it stay up a few days so the theme can develop and extend over time.
3. Your two-year-old probably sees you as his favourite friend, but as your child moves into his fourth year, playmates are more able to understand and engage in play at the same level as your child. They support each other’s world of make believe. Go out of your way to bring in same-aged playmates.
5. When you search for a preschool program for your child, notice if the curriculum provides for and values pretend play. An example of a great preschool program that even shows its appreciation of imaginative play in its name is Kindermusik’s “Imagine That!” program for children 3.5 to 5 years.
6. Recognize your child’s imaginary friends. It lets your child know you value what she is doing and how important her play is.

Take time today to explore a new adventure with your child. You are your child’s first and most important teacher.

Holly Hykawy, B.Ed
Best Beginnings Educational Consulting
Ph: 938-0912 Email: info@best-beginnings.com
Web: www.best-beginnings.com

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