The Importance of Dramatic Play

Pretend play provides your child with a variety of problems to solve. Whether it's two children wanting to play the same role or searching for the just right material to make a roof for the playhouse, your child calls upon important cognitive thinking skills that he will use in every aspect of his life, now and forever.

Does your child enjoy a bit of roughhousing? Good, because he should. Researchers in early brain development believe that this sort of play helps develop the part of the brain (the frontal lobe) that regulates behavior. So instead of worrying that this type of activity will encourage your child to act out or become too aggressive, be assured that within a monitored situation, rough-house play can actually help your child learn the self-regulation skills needed to know how and when this type of play is appropriate.

Pretend play also promotes abstract thinking. The ability to use a prop (such as a block) as a symbol for something else (such as a phone) is a high-level thinking skill. Eventually it will enable your child to recognize that numbers represent quantities of things, and that combinations of letters represent the words she speaks, hears, and reads.

Luka- My baby has to sleep in the car with her dress on.
Myla- Is your baby sick?
Luka- This dress is actually too big for my baby. I need a smaller one cause it's cold outside.
Saige- I said its time to go to school guys, come on!
Myla- I'm sick. No can't go to school.
Layla- I'm sick too, Myla. see? Cough, cough. My throat hurts.
Ella- You all need a pillow, I'll get one for you. Now lean back girls, I will have a pillow for you.
Myla- I need a blankie.
Myla- I have cough.
Ella- Here's your medicine to make you feel better. You guys want blanket for keeping you warm? I'll get it for you.

Luka- I'm taking your picture, say cheese.
Ella- Sorry I can't take a picture today. I have some girls that are really sick.

Saige- I'm a bee costume.
Luka- I am done taking pictures because I am sleeping.
Saige- I am a sick bee and I need medicine too. Luka take my picture!
Luka- I will take your picture when I wake up. Okay. bee?

Nolan- We got a lot!
Finn- Grab your safety hat and let's build it again.
Nolan-You can use a fire helmet!
Finn-I need it!
John-We need that. To cover these blocks.
Nolan-I'm a fireman!
John-After that we need to save the people from the monster! Jenna, it was just Finny.


Nolan-I need to build a hose, Johnny. I'm building a hose! Finn look it, I'm building a hose.
Finn-Fire fire fire!
Nolan-I'm the driver!
John-Hop on Finny there's a fire!
Finn- I can't. I am a garbage collector.

Nolan-Uh oh a fire! Raise the ladder, higher, higher!
John-There's a fire? Let me see...there is a fire!
Nolan-Here I am, sliding down the pole! We're sliding down the pole!
John-Fireman save the school all day, fireman save the school all day! This way to the fire, Nolan get in the fire truck!
Nolan- We need scarves to hook onto the fire hydrant.
John-Here's the fire hydrant, tie it up to that!