The ability to pretend is a skill that is highly valuable throughout life, and a recent study indicates that children learn this skill from a very young age. Researchers conducted a study with 902 parents from the UK, US, and Australia, focusing on children aged from birth to nearly four years old. Surprisingly, some of the children in the study were already engaging in pretend play as early as four months old, with around half of them capable of pretending by the age of 12 months.
According to the study, pretending becomes more sophisticated as children grow older. Pretense starts with simple actions like pretending to sleep or mimicking daily activities such as brushing teeth with a finger, and then progresses to more complex forms of pretend play. By the age of two, children are incorporating abstract thinking into their play, pretending to engage in activities they have never experienced, such as flying a rocket ship.
As children approach the age of three, they begin using their entire bodies to impersonate others, including cartoon characters, animals, or even trees. They also start engaging in more elaborate pretend scenarios and may create imaginary friends. This type of play not only enhances their creativity but also contributes to the development of their language skills, enabling them to construct intricate storylines during their pretend play sessions.
The study identified a total of 18 different types of pretense in young children, marking the first known research to track pretending behavior from infancy to the age of three. While the accuracy of parent reports might sometimes be questioned, they have been shown to align with lab findings in previous studies. This method allowed researchers to examine relationships efficiently with a larger and younger sample, overcoming the limitations of lab-based tests and observational studies.
The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the patterns of development in early childhood. Understanding the different stages of pretense in children may help identify specific types of play or learning that are more suitable for individual children at various developmental stages. With further research, these findings could potentially serve as a diagnostic tool for detecting developmental differences in early childhood, allowing for targeted interventions to support children’s cognitive and social growth.
The ability to pretend plays a crucial role in children’s learning, creativity, social skills, and understanding of others. By recognizing the diverse stages and types of pretense in young children, parents and educators can better support their development and enrich their play experiences.
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