Babies start recognizing pretend play pretty early on, and by their first birthday, about half of them are already getting in on the action themselves, according to new research.
This study, led by the University of Bristol, is a game-changer in understanding how kids’ ability to recognize and engage in pretend play develops from birth to age three.
As Professor Elena Hoicka from the University’s School of Education explains, “Our findings highlight how pretending is a complex, evolving process which begins very early on in life, helping their cognitive and social skills to advance. Pretence is a key part of children’s learning, creativity, making friends, and understanding of other people. This study maps its many different stages and types. »
So, what exactly did the researchers find? Well, they gathered data from 900 parents across the UK, US, Australia, and Canada, all with kids ranging from newborns to toddlers up to three years old. It turns out that some babies start understanding pretend play as early as four months old. By 13 months, about half of them recognize when someone else is pretending, and by 12 months, half of the kids are regularly pretending themselves.
The study identified 18 different types of pretend play that kids start to engage in during these early years. At around one year old, children’s pretend play usually involves their own bodies—like pretending to sleep. They might also start using gestures, like pretending to brush their teeth with a finger, or even start using objects in imaginative ways, like drinking from an empty cup.
Professor Hoicka shares, “This then moves on to pretending one object is another, for instance, pretending a banana is a phone. This type of pretending really opens up their sense of creative play as they can now imagine any object they want to play with. »
By the time they’re two, kids start engaging in more abstract pretend play. They might pretend to do things they haven’t even experienced, like flying a rocket ship. Their play becomes more elaborate as they start to use their whole bodies to pretend to be others, whether that’s a tree, an animal, or even their favourite superhero or cartoon character.
« This can include people they know and fantasy characters, such as Spider-Man or Peppa Pig. As their language skills are also developing, this can help them to pretend in new ways, allowing them to create elaborate storylines when doing so, » adds Prof Hoicka.
And by three years old? Well, the sky’s the limit. These little ones are bursting with creativity, often coming up with wild scenarios—like being a cartoon character zooming through space. Some even start interacting with imaginary friends.
Professor Hoicka notes, « While some parents may be over-reporting pretence understanding in the youngest children — at four months — in our sample, the ages at which parents observe these 18 pretence types are largely consistent with previous research findings. »
This study is groundbreaking because it’s the first to really map out how pretend play evolves from the moment it starts until a child’s third birthday.
“Previous early pretence studies have been observational or experimental, limiting the number of children involved,” says Professor Hoicka. “This new parent-report survey measure has allowed researchers to study a large number of children, which is unheard of using observational or experimental means.”
The hope is that these findings will give parents and early childhood educators a better understanding of what kinds of pretend play are appropriate and beneficial at different ages, helping to support kids’ learning, creativity, and social development.
Looking ahead, Professor Hoicka believes that with more research, these insights could even be used to help identify developmental differences in young children, providing valuable guidance for parents, educators, and medical professionals in supporting children’s growth through play.
Source: this article is based on a recent research publication that we found on sciencedaily.com