Why Role Play is Important for Children’s Development.

There are some toys that stand the test of time, dolls, shops, dressing up and basically anything that involves role-playing. Plus it is such an important part of the child’s development. When engaging with role play you will hear the child’s vocabulary growing by the day. When children role-play they are in control, it is child-led play and adults may be invited to join but the emphasis is on the child and their imagination. This type of play is a great way to start developing a growth mindset.

Erin cleans her dolls teeth before getting dressed.

Role play is a great way for children to make sense of the world around them and it can open up new conversations.  When dressing up for example, children learn what it might be like to be in a different situation or to imagine what it is like to have a specific job or role.

Right now, whilst we are in lockdown I have seen lots of parents worrying that their children are not doing much work and are just playing. Well I want to reassure you that this is educational. Your children are learning and when you give your child the freedom to choose what they want to learn and how to learn in your homeschool, they begin to enjoy learning. 

“Decades of research has shown that play is crucial to physical, 
intellectual, and social-emotional development at all ages. 
This is especially true of the purest form of play: the unstructured, 
self-motivated, imaginative, independent kind, where children initiate 
their own games and even invent their own rules.”  Dr. David Elkind

Key benefits of role playing

  • Develops communication and language skills
  • Allows children to act out and make sense of real-life situations
  • Allows children to explore, investigate and experiment
  • Develops social skills as children collaborate with others
  • Children learn to empathise with others – taking part in a role play activity would usually mean that you are taking on the role of character which will teach children about the empathy and understanding of different perspectives.
  • Helps children learn about different cultures
  • Encourages children to express their ideas and feelings in a relaxed environment
  • Develops children’s awareness of themselves and others
  • Gets children learning more as learning is disguised as play
  • Sparks creativity and imagination

Therefore trying to have a variety of good quality toys that encourages role play is ideal for younger children. When children start school much of their day will be child-led play.  You might be concerned that no true learning will actually occur unless you drive it. But the truth is, when children are in charge of their learning and we follow their ideas, the learning experiences they come up with are ten times better than we could ever think of. 

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7 Responses

  1. I love watching my girls role play and luckily for me they spend hours and hours playing together dressing up, or with their dolls playing out scenarios. They love it and I love it so it’s a win win for us.

  2. What a lovely fire engine, it looks so sturdy and something that I’d probably keep out on display long after the children had outgrown it! I love watching my daughter play with her dolls and having little conversations with them.

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