Essay On Imaginative Play

Most of us have fond memories of playing when we were young, including using our imagination to create worlds. Imaginative play, or pretend play, has been described as transforming the present moment in which a child exists (Garvey & Berndt, 1975). It usually involves maneuvering one’s perception of reality creating a pretend world within the mind of the child pretending (Garvey & Berndt, 1975). Though the purpose of imaginative or pretend play is not completely clear evidence suggests that play may help children to develop cognitively, emotionally, and to feel a sense of control (Smith & Lillard, 2012). In childhood individuals learn the “right” way to behave in accordance with their gender (Green & Piel, 2010). Furthermore, there is a significant amount of research that supports that boys and girls will approach items and activities that are considered culturally gender appropriate and avoid items and activities that are gender inappropriate (Coyle & Liben, 2016). Additionally, the type of play individuals engage in is different based on gender. Boys are more likely to engage in “rough-housing” type of play, whereas girls are more likely to engage in more intimate play in small groups (Mathieson & Banerjee, 2011). Moreover, gender may be associated with the length of time children engage in imaginative play. Boys are found to continue pretend play longer than girls (Smith & Lillard, 2012). Yet, girls are more likely to report having an …show more content…
The researchers found that children with higher IQ’s were more likely to have a broader zone of proximal development such that their mothers transferred more play responsibility to the children at a younger age (approximately by 12 months). This indicates that greater independence in imagintive play at a younger age is a predictor for higher IQ (Morrissey & Brown,