The Role of the Caregiver in Pretend Play
Post on 15-Apr-2017
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THE CAREGIVER ROLE INTHE EMERGENCE OF
PRETEND PLAYB Y T A H L I A B A U M A N N
Caregivers obviously play one of, if not the most important, roles in the
care and upbringing of a child. The caregiver is the main influence from
the moment the child is born, and this influence continues over their
development. However, many people tend to overlook the influence a
caregiver can have over the emergence of pretend play. Wendy Haight and
Peggy J. Miller explored this in their fascinating 1992 research, which is
briefly outlined here.
Pretend play (or “symbolic” or “imaginative” play) is, according to
developmental psychologist Lillard and colleagues, a child’s expression of
their ability to understand symbols and use imaginary actions in their
‘real-life’ play. Pretend play is important for a number of reasons such as
social development, emotional intelligence and the foundations for
creativity – all of which have been topics of exciting research. Between this
though is a common theme that these benefits are maximized when
pretending occurs with a partner. A more experienced partner, such as a
parent, is able to socialize children into pretending, meaning that children
acquire stronger communication and social skills. This makes sense when
thinking about how children need to communicate a character they are
playing,
objects that magically transform into other objects, and then actually
performing the scenario. Mother-child interactions especially are seen as
important in the origins of pretend play. In this intimate relationship, the
initial notions of pretending are formed, and over time the child creates
their own ideas and symbols. Because these ideas are their own now, they
are easier to pass on when playing with others. The mother is important in
this case as it is where “symbolic activity” really forms and is encouraged.
Children may also be choosing information from the parent to use in their
own play. Evidence also shows that engaging in play with a caregiver is
more sustained, more complex and more diverse than when they are
playing by themselves.
Haight and Miller’s (1992) experiment focused on social play and the
involvement of the mother in pretending. It followed nine families
periodically over 48 months, videotaping their
behaviour as they would normally be around
the home. They looked for actions of pretend
play, verbal and non-verbal (such as making a
doll move or speak), as well as the mothers’
response to the child’s play. They found that
pretend play occurred mostly
with another person. So, a child
interacting with others increased
social behaviour and allowed
these skills to develop. Up until
36 months mothers were the
main play partners, indicating
that formation of pretending,
before branching out to other
children. Children also tended
to copy the parent’s words at
first, but this faded by 48
months. They also showed more
solo pretending at this age,
demonstrating socialization by
moving away from the mother figure
as the sole partner.
Overall, play, as an interpersonal behaviour, is a vital part of development
because it formulates social and communicative skills. Mothers are
particularly important in this context as they are the ones who pretend
with their child the most in their early years. Research is showing that the
mother actually is the first to introduce pretend play to their children. Not
much later, play becomes a joint activity as mothers respond to and
deliver prompts for pretending, with children repeating much of their
words.
Because of this, Haight and Miller (1992) say that the mother has the most
impact on the child’s introduction to play. She gives the child direction in
which to take their own play, especially if they have never experienced
pretending before, therefore giving them the opportunity to build on ideas
and concepts to create their own. Ultimately, and most importantly, this
play is the basis for social interaction with other children later down the
track.
Images by Jason Ratliff
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