Thinking by Playing
A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps. Proverbs 14:15Proverbs 14:15
English: World English Bible - WEB
15 A simple man believes everything,
But the prudent man carefully considers his ways.
God created our intricate minds. He wants us to think, so it makes sense that we should develop our children’s thinking skills. We often think that providing challenging school work for our children is the way to get them to think, but that is not true. Pretend play is actually a great way to develop those thinking skills. Research shows that pretend play promotes language development, problem solving skills, and social skills. There is evidence that suggests that pretend play also promotes literacy and may even help children develop mathematical thinking. These are pretty compelling reasons to think about the pretend play in your home. Is it part of your school day? Have you thought about the role that pretend play has in your curriculum?
Since home education is so individualized and flexible, you can incorporate pretend play into your day even more so than it already is. It can play a prominent role in the day if you make time for it. You can facilitate your children’s play time as well. By making a few adjustments and thinking differently about pretending, you can change the quality of how your children pretend. Try to offer toys that will encourage different kinds of play. For example, offering literacy materials actually encourages children to incorporate literacy in their play. Also some research suggests that intricate block play in the early years helps with more complex mathematical thinking as children grow older. Type-A Mom also has a great article about how to encourage pretending.
Not only does pretend play develop thinking skills, but it also allows you a window into your child’s thoughts and emotions. You will gain a better understanding of your child if you observe during pretend play scenarios both in independent pretend play and play with friends. Take note of role playing, props used, the complexity of the scenario, and how problems are negotiated. You can use this information as you think about rotating of toys, using analogies from their play to explain concepts, and developing future school work ideas. It will help you to see how much your children understand different concepts that are included in the play scenarios, too.
Pretend play also gives you the opportunity to bond with your child. I love playing with my children. I try to add to the scenario, or change things in order to encourage negotiation skills. I insist that I am able to take turns or decide what I want to do instead of letting the children orchestrate all of the play. Sometimes I do follow along with the play to see where the scenario is going. I ask lots of questions and expect thorough explanations even when I can put together what they are trying to communicate. This all happens while I am sitting on the floor at their eye level. There is just something special about playing with the children down at their level that makes a difference in the way that they play with me.
Try giving pretend play a more prominent role in your school day. You will see a difference in your children and in your own understanding of them. Most of all have fun with your kids!
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