Imagine a 6-year-old gets suspended by school for pretend playing to shoot a classmate on the playground with a “bow and arrow”, with a bow and arrow that didn’t actually exist. Yes, he earned three days’ of out-of-school suspension, and his parents are shocked as to how this happened.
The six-year-old’s parents’ said that their son was playing a game of Power Rangers when the incident occurred, and when they tried to reason with the principal, they found out that any real, pretend or imitated violence would not be tolerated at Our Lady of Lourdes in Cincinnati. So their boy had to serve out the rest of his suspension, but they don’t want to stop him from playing pretend!
Now, let’s get real, despite this over-the-top punishment that was ordered out to a 6-year-old pretending to be a Power Ranger, pretend play or make-believe is a crucial part of growth and development in the life of a child.
Benefits of Playing Pretend
It helps kids learn valuable problem-solving skills as they create complex situations and work out a solution by themselves. It enables kids to learn about themselves and their world, helping to sort out what their own personal likes and dislikes are.
It helps kids learn to self-regulate, and also allows kids to make up their own rules, by which they can learn about discipline as they dole out “punishment” as they deem necessary.
Playing make-believe also boosts vocabulary and language skills, as they often interact with other kids or pretend play by themselves. Exploration of language, stories and narrative help develop those skills — all of which improve a child’s ability to learn in a structured academic setting. t also allows them to interact with their environment in new and different ways, and it helps fine-tune social skills, like taking turns, sharing and negotiation.
