Imagination is like magic that can take simple learning to great heights through the right toys and tools. Kids can pick up a spoon and pretend it to be an airplane or make them their magic wands. Kids indeed have the best of options in gifts irrespective of their age when it comes to choosing something for pretending to play.
But, what are these pretend-to-play toys? Well, pretend play toys are toys that help kids to develop various skills responsible for their overall growth. Children use such toys to pretend they are like real objects to play with. Kids can develop several skills with such pretend play toys engaging in imaginary play with their friends.
How To Enhance They Pretend Playtime?
It is a good investment to bring in a few pretend-to-play toys for your kids, however, consider creating a pretend corner filled with stuff that your kids can use to play pretend. It is a good idea to create a DIY pretend play zone for them, using old and ordinary daily objects.
- Use large crates of plastic or large cardboard boxes to create a playhouse for your kids. Try to jazz up them a bit by adding some interesting paint or small curtains to add some fun.
- Fill a box with old clothes, backpacks, shoes, etcetera to create a pretend play box for your kids.
- Old telephones, phone books, and magazines can become exceptional tools for playing pretend. Add cooking utensils, dishes, plastic food containers, table napkins, silk flowers to give it more
- Soft toys and fabric pieces of various varieties like blankets, sheets, etcetera to make a fort for your kids.
- Theme-based materials like used tickets of the plane, postcards, etc.
- Writing material and accessories to mention phone messages, leaving small notes, etc.
Here are the several skills that kids learn with pretend toys.
Language Skills
Try and focus on your kids while they play pretend, you will be surprised to know about the words and phrases they know and use. Most of the parents are even unaware of how their kids learn those words. Kids reflect on what they see around them and grasp words and phrases from the same environment.
It is a common site for kids to learn such words and pretend like their parents, using their style and imitate them to the t. While the kids play with their friends, they learn to use these words while pretending to play games. It helps them connect these spoken words to reenact stories and daily routine scenes.
Social & Emotional Skills
Children playing with pretend play toys when enacting and imitating different roles, they are actively learning and experimenting with social and emotional characters of life. Consider young children playing with pram toys, they will learn about how parents care for kids and what responsibility and caring means in real life.
Thinking Skills
Pretend play will let your children use their brains while handling a variety of challenges and problem solving while playing. It can vary from a simple problem of who will pretend what to search for the right tool for the play. Kids learn to work on their cognitive skills at the primary age of their life. This way, kids can swiftly adapt to the skills that they will require all their life.
Conclusion
Young children will see the world with their own eyes and mindset, which is why pretend play toys are essential for them to form and understand the feelings of others. It can also help them build self-esteem by discovering their ability to become anyone or anything with pretend play.
