The Link Between Pretend Play and Language Development

We love the lead up to Halloween.  The possibilities for pretending to be something or someone else are endless and so much fun.  For us, though, pretend play doesn’t just happen at Halloween.  Pretend play is an important precursor and complement to language development, so there’s nothing we like more than getting down on the floor and putting on our pretend play hats!

 Why is pretend play important for language development?

When children engage in pretend play, they are using what we call “symbolic thinking”.  They may use one object to represent another (e.g. pretending that a shoe is a phone), which is a skill required to develop language.  Words are also symbols.  We use words to represent objects, thoughts and ideas. 

Pretend play is also an arena for young children to practice skills such as turn taking (e.g. my turn then doll’s turn or my turn then mommy’s turn), they can experiment with different social roles (e.g. they may use different language structures when pretending to be a teacher than they would as themselves), and develop new vocabulary.

What can we do to support pretend play skills?

·      Keep the number of toys out to a minimum.  Putting out too many toys at once can be overwhelming.  Pick a few that you think your child will be interested in. 

·      Follow their lead.  Let your child lead the play.  Your child will be more motivated to engage in play if he is choosing what you play with. 

·      Get down on the floor.  Being at the same level as your child helps them to learn from your face, gestures and pretend actions and makes it easier for you to respond when they are inviting you into their play.    

·      Model.  Young children don’t know how to pretend.  Teach them to pretend by modeling it for them.  For example, pretend to make phone calls with a toy phone, then give your child a turn to see if he imitates you.  Try to avoid simply commenting on what your child is doing- get into the play yourself (you’ll both have more fun)!

·      Introduce new ideas.  Expand your child’s knowledge about a topic by introducing concepts they may not be aware of.  For instance, if you are pretending to make soup, add the idea of pretending to add pepper to make it spicy. 

·      Draw on your child’s experiences.  Every new experience your child has is potential inspiration for pretend play.  A trip to the grocery store can give just as much material as going to the circus!  Books are a great way of exploring settings and scenarios that your child may not have been exposed to in real life, such as a faraway castle or under the sea!

·      Have fun!  The sillier you are with your play, the more your child will want to engage in it with you! 

Difficulty with play skills can be an early sign of language delays or social communication disorders.  Contact us if you have concerns about your child’s language or play skills.