----

##  Pretend Play and Young Children's Development. ERIC Digest.                  

Although pretend play has long been part of the early childhood                 curriculum, recent emphasis on accountability in education seems to             have led to a decline in the general understanding of the                       contribution that high-quality play can make to children's cognitive            development in the early years. This Digest defines the cluster of              concepts related to pretend play and cognition, briefly synthesizes             the latest research on the role of pretend play in children's social            and linguistic competence, and discusses challenges and policy                  directions suggested by these research findings. CONCEPTS RELATED             TO PRETEND PLAY AND COGNITIONChildren begin to engage in pretend            play, develop receptive and expressive language, and use mental                 representation at approximately the same time in their development.             Thus researchers have hypothesized strong relationships among these             processes. Pretend play requires the ability to transform objects               and actions symbolically; it is carried out through interactive                 social dialogue and negotiation; and it involves role taking, script            knowledge, and improvisation. Lillard (1998) has pointed out that               pretend play involves negotiation between players with differing                views, simultaneous representation of objects in two ways (real and             pretend), role play requiring acting out others' thoughts and                   actions, and portrayal of emotions appropriate to varied situations             and actors-all actions that suggest that the pretenders have mental             representation abilities. However, substantial research on how                  children understand the thinking of others indicates that even                  though children can pretend through actions earlier, they do not                gain the ability to understand that others may not know what they               know until they are age 4 or 5. 
Many cognitive strategies are                 demonstrated when children pretend, including joint planning,                   negotiation, problem solving, and goal seeking. Researchers have                questioned whether the co-occurrence of these developing abilities              is evidence of a reciprocal or of a cause-effect relationship.                  Although the answer to this question is still under study, it is                clear that pretend play has a vital role in young children's lives,             and that its importance extends through the primary school years as             well (Bergen, 1998). RESEARCH ON PLAY AND SOCIAL AND LINGUISTIC               COMPETENCEBecause pretending involves language use and takes                place in social contexts, the findings of many recent studies of                pretend play shed light on the social and linguistic competence                 vital for school success. In an extensive observational study of                pretend play, Sawyer (1997) found that, rather than following a                 script, much of preschool children's pretend play involved                      improvisational exchanges. He also found that these strategies were             more successful when they were implicitly included in the play                  scenario rather than when children stopped the play to make explicit            suggestions. He provides rich examples of the skill children exhibit            in using improvisation in pretend play. 
Nonsocial Play Behaviors.             The movement from simple to complex social pretend play does not                occur smoothly for some children. For example, Rubin and                        Coplan (1998) report on a series of studies that followed children              who exhibited nonsocial or "withdrawn" play behaviors during                    preschool. They found that early social withdrawal is a strong                  predictor of peer rejection, social anxiety, loneliness, depression,            and negative self-esteem in later childhood and adolescence.                    Nonsocial play behaviors also seem to have negative implications for            academic success. The researchers state that the consequences of                social withdrawal may vary by culture: there may be more negative               consequences for boys in U.S. culture, compared to boys in other                cultures where passive, controlled, and reticent behavior is                    valued (e.g., China). Gender differences in play may also affect                kindergarten adjustment, with boys who have solitary-passive play               behaviors and girls who have solitary-active play behaviors being               rated as more poorly adjusted by teachers (Coplan et al.,                       2001). 
Socioeconomic Factors. The process of pretend play                     development may also be affected by socioeconomic factors.                      Observations at two time periods of the play of children                        participating in Title I preschool programs in 22 classrooms did not            show the same increase in social pretend play in similar time                   periods that is typically found in most preschool studies (Farran &             Son-Yarbrough, 2001). This finding is disturbing because in this                study, associative play, in which children interact briefly, had the            most positive relationship to quantity of verbal behaviors, but over            the two time periods, associative play decreased while parallel                 play, in which children play along side others but do not interact,             showed an increase. 
This trend was most evident in Title I                    preschool classrooms enrolling the largest proportion of children               from low socioeconomic backgrounds. There was also no increase in               the total amount of verbal interaction over the two time periods,               which is incongruent with most research. Because an increase in                 social pretend play and language use were not observed, the                     researchers express concern that such preschools may "facilitate the            behavioral introduction to the expectations of the public school                environment but may not provide the foundational understandings and             experiences to keep those early successes from disappearing once the            curriculum becomes more demanding" (Farran & Son-Yarbrough, 2001, p.            259). 
Children with Disabilities. Researchers studying children               who have disabilities have pointed out the importance of social                 pretend play for these children's development and the difficulties              they often have in engaging in social pretend play. Odom, McConnell,            and Chandler (1993) found that teachers reported that about 75% of              children with disabilities need assistance with social skills.                  However, in a review of research on the pretend play skills of                  children with language disabilities, Casby (1997) concluded that the            actual differences in pretend play abilities of these children                  compared with the general population of students appears to be quite            small; they have "a symbolic performance deficit more so than a                 symbolic competence deficit" (p. 477). 
Similarly, Guralnik and                Hammond (1999) found that children with mild disabilities exhibit               play transition patterns (i.e., from solitary to parallel to social)            that are congruent with those of typical peers. On the other hand,              the social and pretend play patterns of children with autistic                  disorders are likely to differ from those of other children. These              children may lack the mental representation and language                        competencies needed for pretend play, or lack skill in generating               ideas for pretend play spontaneously (Jarrold, Boucher, & Smith,                1996). 
Hestenes and Carroll (2000) observed an inclusive classroom            with approximately equal numbers of typically developing children               and children with disabilities. They found that those without                   disabilities engaged in more cooperative and less solitary play than            did those with disabilities. Although both groups of children chose             similar activities, typically developing children interacted less               often with children with disabilities than expected. They suggest               that, while effects of inclusive settings on play patterns of                   children with disabilities are not yet clear, such settings do not              appear to disrupt the play of typically developing children. Special            educators often use play intervention methods such as script                    rehearsal to promote young children's pretend play abilities,                   because of the relationships suggested by research between enhanced             play skills and enhanced cognitive, social, and language                        development (Neeley et al., 2001). CHALLENGES AND POLICY                      DIRECTIONS SUGGESTED BY RESEARCHResearch on the relationships               between play and cognitive development gives some support to                    play-based curricula in programs for children under age 5.                      Implications for the primary years are not clear. State and national            emphasis on test performance has resulted in the elimination of                 kindergarten "choice" time and recess breaks in some schools. The               press for "academic readiness" through concentrated and direct                  teaching of alphabet, number, color, and other skills now affects               the amount of time allocated for play in preschools. This trend                 could have a negative effect on the development of social pretend               play, which requires extended uninterrupted time periods to develop             complexity. 
Policy makers need help in understanding the                      relationship between play and the development of cognitive skills.              The research evidence is very clear that play has a role in young               children's general development. Proponents of play must be ready to             demonstrate how the development of the cognitive skills exercised in            pretend play are also essential for later school success and good               test performance. 
Most of the present research evidence has come              from small- scale cross-sectional studies; another challenge to                 researchers is to mount more extensive and practice-oriented                    studies (preferably longitudinal) to investigate play/cognition                 relationships in diverse early childhood settings. The limited                  research evidence that does exist suggests that educators should                resist policies that reduce time for social pretend play experiences            in preschool and work to increase funding for research on                       relationships between play and cognitive development in the early               childhood years. FOR MORE INFORMATIONBergen, D. (1998). Stages            of play development. In D. Bergen (Ed.), READINGS FROM ... PLAY AS A            MEDIUM FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT (pp. 71-93). Olney, MD:                     Association for Childhood Education International. ED 421                       252. 
Casby, M. W. (1997). Symbolic play of children with language             impairment: A critical review. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND                 HEARING RESEARCH, 40(3), 468-479. EJ 558 185. 
Coplan, R.,                     Gavinski-Molina, M., Lagace-Seguin, D. G., & Wichmann, C. (2001).               When girls versus boys play alone: Nonsocial play and adjustment in             kindergarten. DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, 37(4), 464-474. 
Farran, D.            C., & Son-Yarbrough, W. (2001). Title I funded preschools as a                  developmental context for children's play and verbal behaviors.                 EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY, 16(2), 245-262. 
Guralnik, M.              J., & Hammond, M. A. (1999). Sequential analysis of the social play             of young children with mild developmental delays. JOURNAL OF EARLY              INTERVENTION, 22(3), 243-256. 
Hestenes, L. L., & Carroll, D.                  E. (2000). The play interactions of young children with and without             disabilities: Individual and environmental influences. EARLY                    CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY, 15(2), 229-246. 
Jarrold, C.,                    Boucher, J., Smith, P. K. (1996). Generativity deficits in pretend              play in autism. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, 14,                275-300. 
Lillard, A. S. (1998). Playing with a theory of mind. In             O. N. Saracho & B. Spodek (Eds.), MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES ON PLAY IN              EARLY CHILDHOOD (pp. 11-33). Albany: State University of New York               Press. ED 426 776. 
Neeley, P. M., Neeley, R. A., Justen, J. E., &             Tipton-Sumner, C. (2001). Scripted play as a language intervention              strategy for preschoolers with developmental disabilities. EARLY                CHILDHOOD EDUCATION JOURNAL, 28(4), 243-246. 
Odom, S. L.,                     McConnell, S. R., & Chandler, L. K. (1993). Acceptability and                   feasibility of classroom-based social interaction interventions for             young children with disabilities. EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN, 60(3),                  226-236. EJ 474 393. 
Rubin, K. H., & Coplan, R. J. (1998). Social             and nonsocial play in childhood: An individual differences                      perspective. In O. N. Saracho & B. Spodek (Eds.), MULTIPLE                      PERSPECTIVES ON PLAY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD (pp. 144-170). Albany: State            University of New York Press. ED 426 776. 
Sawyer, R. K. (1997).               PRETEND PLAY AS IMPROVISATION: CONVERSATION IN THE PRESCHOOL                    CLASSROOM. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 
----- 
References identified with            an ED (ERIC document), EJ (ERIC journal), or PS number are cited in             the ERIC database. Most documents are available in ERIC microfiche              collections at more than 900 locations worldwide, and can be ordered            through EDRS: (800) 443-ERIC. Journal articles are available from               the original journal, interlibrary loan services, or article                    reproduction clearinghouses such as Ingenta (800-296-2221). 
ERIC              Digests are in the public domain and may be freely                              reproduced. 
This project has been funded at least in part with                Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of                  Educational Research and Improvement, under contract no.                        ED-99-CO-0020. The content of this publication does not necessarily             reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education,              nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or                        organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 
ABOUT                 ERIC/EECE DIGESTS... 
ERIC/EECE Digests are short reports on topics            of current interest in education. Digests are targeted to teachers,             administrators, parents, policy makers, and other practitioners.                They are designed to provide an overview of information on a given              topic and references to items that provide more detailed                        information. Reviewed by subject experts who are content specialists            in the field, the digests are funded by the Office of Educational               Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of                       Education. 
All ERIC/EECE Digests are available free in original               printed form directly from the clearinghouse. For additional                    information on this topic, please contact ERIC/EECE directly at                 [email protected] or 1-800-583-4135.                                         **Title:** Pretend Play and Young Children's Development. ERIC Digest.                  **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education,                 Children's Research Center, University of Illinois, 51 Gerty Dr.,               Champaign, IL 61820-7469. Tel: 800-583-4135 (Toll Free); Tel:                   217-333-1386; Fax: 217-333-3767; Web site: http://ericeece.org;                 e-mail: [email protected]. For full text:                                       http://ericeece.org/pubs/digests.html.                                       **Descriptors:**  Child Development,  Cognitive Development, Definitions, Educational            Policy, Interpersonal Competence, Language Skills,  Play, Preschool             Curriculum,  Pretend Play, Theories,  Young Children                         **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
###
[Return to ERIC Digest Search Page]