Pretend play is strongly linked to language, narrative language, abstract thought, problem solving, logical sequential thought, creation of stories, social competence with peers, understanding a social situation, integration of emotional, social and cognitive skills, and the ability to play with others in the role of a ‘player’. [Read more on the connection between play and literacy.]
Examples of pretend play are: dressing up; playing shops; having tea parties with teddies and dolls; putting blocks in a truck and pushing it to the ‘building site’; playing in the sandpit with roads, trucks, graders etc. to create a play scene of transport vehicles; playing with dolls and feeding them, putting them to bed.
