Children between the ages of three and eight can learn all about animals in a playful way with Schleich’s Wild Life and Farm World collections. There is no end to the fun children can have with their imagination, so why not encourage your little ones to use it? Young children learn by imagining and doing. The process of pretending builds skills in many essential developmental areas.
Social and Emotional Skills
When your child engages in pretend (or dramatic) play, he is actively experimenting with the social and emotional roles of life. Through cooperative play, he learns how to take turns, share responsibility, and creatively problem-solve. When your child pretends to be different characters, he has the experience of “walking in someone else’s shoes,” which helps teach the important moral development skill of empathy. It’s normal for young children to see the world from their own egocentric point of view, but through maturation and cooperative play, your child will begin to understand the feelings of others. He also builds self-esteem when he discovers he can be anything just by pretending!
Language Skills
Have you ever listened in as your child engages in imaginary play with his toys or friends? You will probably hear some words and phrases you never thought he knew! In fact, we often hear our own words reflected in the play of children. Kids can do a perfect imitation of mum, dad, and the teacher! Pretend play helps your child understand the power of language. In addition, by pretend playing with others, he learns that words give him the means to re-enact a story or organise play. This process helps your child to make the connection between spoken and written language — a skill that will later help him learn to read.
Thinking Skills
Pretend play provides your child with a variety of problems to solve. Whether it’s two children wanting to play the same role or searching for the just right material to make a roof for the playhouse, your child calls upon important cognitive thinking skills that he will use in every aspect of his life, now and forever.
The best news? Fuelling their imaginations doesn’t require anything more than the most basic tools. Schleich has a great range of ‘let’s pretend’ toys to choose from, so why not browse the ranges here?
