This post is a 101 on pretend play and includes ideas for pretend play toys for the upcoming holiday season! Your Ultimate Pretend Play 101 Guide Definition of Pretend Play Pretend play within the concept of child development is not black and white and evolves as a child develops. Pretend play is a form of symbolic play […]
What is Pretend Play?
Authentic, real experiences are critical for children. One of my Montessori instructors at MEIPN opened a session with an exercise she coined “Abstract Orange” to emphasize the importance of authentic, concrete experiences for children and their developing brains. She said: “We are adults with the ability to think abstractly so imagine you are holding a […]
Kid Soup – Toddler Pretend Play Activity
Too simple. So simple. I thought about NOT posting but these activities are the best, I decided. Simple. Easy. Accessible. It has been a difficult few days with a stomach virus hitting our home hard (everyone in the family was down). So, at times I was desperate to entertain our nearly one year old, W, […]
Doctor Pretend Play – Preschool Activity
My sister is a doctor. I talk about her a lot. I knew the day would come when our 2.5 year old would understand that being a doctor is an important job and relationship in our lives. Over the last few months he has begun to understand that doctors take care of us and try […]
Pretend Play with a Twist
We like Pretend Play in our Home but with a slight twist. The twist is adding real items into the play. I wrote a post on Montessori’s view on Pretend Play the other day. I am conflicted about it but I think I have managed to deal with it well. I mentioned an introduction to […]
Montessori Theory: Thoughts on Pretend Play
One of the big “concerns” or “criticisms” of Montessori is that Pretend Play is not encouraged in the classroom. Generally, I believe that pretend play is based in reality. So, if we expose children to real-life through meaningful, productive work and experiences and allow them to open their eyes to the great big world around […]