Make-Believe

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Young children, even babies, thrive on pretend play. That’s because pretending provides them with a way of thinking about everyday life. Make-believe lets children experiment with new skills while giving them a way to re-create satisfying experiences. As children pretend, they build valuable literacy skills, including the ability to understand simple story lines and figure out the difference between real and make-believe. And you’ll love watching and supporting the development of your child’s imagination.

Children’s pretend play increases in complexity with age and experience. A baby might carry out simple, familiar actions such as pretending to feed himself with an empty spoon. A toddler is more likely to use that same spoon to feed a doll, while a three-year-old will incorporate feeding a doll into a whole caregiving routine by feeding and rocking the doll, then covering it with a blanket and saying good night. Older preschoolers and kindergartners will assign roles and act out longer, more elaborate stories with their friends.

In the same way, a toddler only needs a single item of dress-up clothes to pretend to be someone else. Kim, wearing a homemade paper crown, becomes royalty. A toddler is transformed into his daddy when he wears his father’s hat. Older children are likely to want more elaborate dress-up outfits and truly care about the details. When your child becomes a preschooler, she will appreciate having such items as eyeglasses (with the lenses removed), handbags, briefcases, jackets, bracelets, and so on available for pretend play.

Give your child plenty of opportunities to make believe.  Encourage imaginative play by joining in at your child’s level while letting him take the lead:

• If your baby is pretending to feed himself, describe what he’s doing, maybe even smack your lips in enjoyment. You may want to join in by picking up another spoon and pretending to eat with it yourself.

• If your toddler pretends to feed a doll with a spoon, comment on how hungry her baby must be. After a while, offer her an empty cup and suggest that her baby might be thirsty.

As the developmental psychologist Erik Erikson put it, “The playing adult steps sideward into another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery.”

Playing Together

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• What’s more exciting to a toddler than getting a package in the mail? In “A Package from Grandma,” the children are fortunate to have adults who understand the importance of music and rhythm in their lives. Music is everywhere: if a band doesn’t happen to arrive in the mail at your home, your child can try beating a kitchen pot with a wooden spoon, tapping two plastic mugs or two pot lids together, or simply singing and clapping her hands. Head outdoors with your homemade band. An outdoor parade is joyful and fun (and you can return to quieter indoor activities later).

• Another way to enjoy rhythm with your baby or toddler is to read the Mother Goose rhymes featured in this issue of BABYBUG. Babies love a lively rhythm and the energetic beat of “Pussycat, Pussycat,” “Gingerbread,” and “Niddledy, Noddledy” invite children to bounce and sway as they listen. Chant the poems while giving your baby an energetic, bouncy knee ride. Hold the hands of an adventurous older baby who wants to stand on your lap and do his own bouncing. And for exuberant, on-the-go toddlers, clap your hands to the beat of these rhymes as they gallop or march around the room.

• Throughout this issue of BABYBUG, point out the colors mentioned in the text. Draw your child’s attention to the “pretty red paper” and the “big green feather” in “Kim and Carrots.” Search for all the mittens in “Red Mittens.” All children, even infants, delight in clear, true colors. Don’t worry, however, if your toddler doesn’t name the colors. That’s a complex skill. Matching colors comes before learning their names. In the meantime, use everyday conversations to support your child’s growing interest in colors. Talk about shoveling snow with the green shovel, buying a loaf of brown bread at the bakery, or mailing a letter in a blue mailbox.