| Anyone who has children or can remember his or her | | | | and participate in such games. |
| own childhood days is familiar with the concept of | | | | Pretend play can come in many forms. Young boys |
| pretend play, which is a type of activity where a young | | | | will frequently engage in such activity as pretending to |
| child begins to role play. Typically emerging in the | | | | be warriors, carpenters, truck drivers, and football |
| second year of life, such imaginative play may be | | | | players. In the hands of an imaginative youngster a |
| much more than just an amusing activity for toddlers. | | | | broom handle becomes a sword, a paper towel roll |
| Some research has suggested that role playing may | | | | can be a hammer, and so on. Likewise, little girls often |
| be an important developmental milestone in small | | | | engage in such forms of play by playing with dolls and |
| children and may assist in the development of | | | | doll houses. Doll houses are particularly strong outlets |
| cognitive, verbal, and social skills. | | | | of pretend play since they allow the child to have |
| Many parents may experience frustration when their | | | | complete control over a mini universe. The child with a |
| child shows little or no interest in learning to count, to | | | | doll house can rearrange furniture, cook dinner, put the |
| sing the alphabet, and other academic prerequisites | | | | baby to bed, and do all of the activities that she |
| that they will need in the upcoming years. Especially | | | | observes her parents do every day. |
| frustrating is their tendencey to avoid all instruction in | | | | Roll playing and other sorts of imaginative games are |
| favor of pretending to be monsters, superheroes or | | | | a vital component of the education of any young child. |
| even people they know. Parents can be reassured | | | | He or she uses such play time not simply for idle |
| that imaginative play is not merely an idle endeavor | | | | fancy, but as a way to understand societal roles, |
| with no redeeming values; indeed, experts are now | | | | relationships, and his or her place in the world. Key |
| saying that the ability to roll play and pretend may be | | | | cognitive and communication skills depend upon the |
| more important than the ability to count or recite the | | | | ability to successfully roll play, so parents should |
| alphabet at such a young age. Playing imagination | | | | encourage such activities. Of course, it is also |
| games helps the young brain order the world around | | | | important for parents to read to young children and |
| him or her and teaches the young child how to | | | | introduce them to numbers, shapes, colors, and letters. |
| empathize and interact with others. Instead of trying to | | | | However, academic learning must share time with |
| redirect the child's energy into activities that they deem | | | | imaginative play to ensure that the child continues to |
| more constructive, parents should instead encourage | | | | develop successfully. |