What is imaginative play and how to encourage it?

What is Imaginative Play?

Who remembers playing dress-up, setting up elaborate cafes, and spending hours immersed in puppet shows and tiny little farmyards filled with toy cows, chickens, and horses for hours on end? At Treasure, we have never forgotten, and everything we dream up and do is based on this concept of wonder and childlike imagination! Play is at the heart and soul of the Treasure world, and imaginative play possibilities are what we strive to create. What is imaginative play, you ask? We would love to tell you more.

Play is a child's way of engaging and making sense of the world. Role play may appear to be an amazingly simple activity, yet children learn practical life skills within it. Imaginative play fosters creativity by providing a safe space for children to act out their chosen scenarios, including situations that they may not be able to experience in real life, such as cooking and driving a bus. Role-playing also promotes physical development in a fun way. Activities such as fitting a Dinkum Doll's arms through clothes and feet into shoes are great for helping with hand-eye coordination. It is also a safe place for children's imaginations to run wild, where Dragons can live with Mermaids in Mushroom Basket houses, anything goes, and that can be extraordinary in a world of many rules.

Tips to Promote Imaginative Play

• Provide plenty of props and invitations to play.

• Allow plenty of playtimes – let your child have as much time as possible to explore where play may take them.

• Create spaces for your child to play freely, filled with play prompts. This can be both indoors and out.