If you think back to your own child play you’ll probably be able to remember playing pretend and getting ‘dressed up’ as your favourite hero or heroine. Imitation and pretend play is a natural part of her development and is one of the most important ways in which children learn about the social world. From imitating simple actions that she sees you do to getting dressed up as Cinderella, your child is absorbing the culture around her and beginning to think about how other people think, feel and act.
Pretend play doesn’t have to involve getting dressed up. Sometimes child play might imitate a simple activity, such as walking around with a stethoscope around her neck after she’s been to the doctors or using her toy spanner to undo all the nuts and bolts in the household after she’s seen daddy doing a bit of DIY.
If your child has a baby brother or sister you might have seen her hit the baby and then watch in confusion as he cries. She hasn’t yet learned that each person has individual thoughts and feelings. She believes that, as she didn’t feel the smack, ...
You’ll be helping your child's development when you try these fun activities together
