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Parents and teachers generally encourage
the fantasy or pretend play of young children. They build playhouses or
buy heavy card-board models. They make available the paraphernalia that
encourages make-believe play, including jewelry, all kinds of hats,
ribbons, ties, scarves, adult shoes, handbags, whistles, keys, assorted
costumes, dress-up accessories and all kinds of pretend play toys.
Fantasy and Pretend Play
Fantasy and pretend play is further
enhanced by adult stimulation: playing at the seashore; exploring a
forest; riding in a bus, car, train, or airplane; visiting the
community post office, bank, bread factory, shoe repair shop.
Children's interviews with community workers such as the police
officer, firefighter, boat captain or even garbage collector; also
provide invaluable experiences.
Fantasy and pretend play includes more than making up situations and
roles to act out, or playing with an imaginary friend. It also includes
skits and games based on stories that have been read to the child or
those he or she makes up. The stories chosen and the roles children
assign to themselves tell us a great deal about the concerns of the
youngsters at play—and about the times we live in.
Risk of Fantasy Withdrawal
Some parents may worry that make-believe
will confuse their children's ability to distinguish between reality
and fantasy, or encourage them to withdraw emotionally. There is very
little evidence that this is the case. However, there are a few
dramatic cases described in the psychiatric literature that involve
children who have spent an excessive amount of time playing fantasy
games or developing imaginary kingdoms. As parents, we must, therefore,
avoid any circumstances in which a child who learns imaginative play
will find it so appealing as to discourage real encounters with other
children. Fortunately, excessive withdrawal into fantasy is extremely
rare.
For the parent or teacher who is concerned about how much fantasy life
is too much, the answer is relatively simple. If a child has withdrawn
so completely into the world of make- believe that the learning of
simple skills suffers drastically, there is no companionship at all
with other children, then there is obvious reason for concern. But the
risk of such developments is far slighter than the much greater risk to
children who fail to make sufficient use of their capacity for
imagination.
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