5 Benefits of Pretend Play Toys

What are the benefits of pretend play toys?

1. Encourages imagination and creativity

2. Supports social and emotional development

3. Improves communication skills

4. Pushes them to think, learn, and use problem-solving skills

5. Enhances fine motor skills

We often don’t think too hard about what play time means for our kids. The truth is, they’re much more important than just a way for your kids to have fun and blow off some steam. Playing with toys is an important part of learning and development for young children. Pretend play, in particular, helps your child grow many skills, which will help them later on in life. But what are the benefits of pretend play toys, and why is it a vital part of your child’s development? Read on to learn more!

Encourages imagination and creativity

The first is, as you probably expected, imagination and creativity. Every scenario, role, and problem that your children play out through these toys is the fruit of their imagination. 

So, encouraging them to use these toys puts them in situations that stimulate this part of their brain. They can flex their imagination and come up with creative ways to proceed with their imagined scenario. They also develop the ability to think for themselves, and also consider different points of view during pretend play.

This is a skill that will come in handy throughout their later life. We adults use our imagination and creativity every day to solve problems, make plans, consider other perspectives, and enjoy the many pleasures of life, such as movies, food, or a good book!

Supports social and emotional development

As your children use their toys to pretend to be different people or act out scenes, they are also practicing the social and emotional aspects of life. They are essentially experimenting with what it’s like to be in different roles or situations. They learn they can be anything by just pretending, and they love this! It’s a safe and secure way to explore boundaries, and build confidence.

Through this, they also develop their understanding of other people. They learn how to walk in someone else’s shoes, which is how they begin to understand the concept of empathy. They also develop the ability to recognize and respond to others' feelings — especially when pretend play is done in a group. 

Pretend play also presents more chances for your children to experience new emotions — be it happiness, sadness, frustration, confusion, and so on. This gives them the chance to express such feelings, as well as learn how to handle them positively.

Improves communication skills

As they assume different roles, impersonate people, and play out situations during pretend play, they can also learn new communication skills! This is because they have to share their thoughts with others, and learn how to listen to their friends sharing their thoughts as well — two very important things for building a relationship. 

Pretend play also allows your children to experiment with the power of words, and how it influences the people and environment around us. They learn how it helps other people understand them, and how they can get their point across to be heard and understood.

It’s also the perfect way for them to learn new words and the meaning behind them! Each time they use their pretend play toys with family or friends, they are introduced to new words and concepts — widening their vocabulary! They also learn how to use these words appropriately and in context.

Pushes them to think, learn, and use problem-solving skills

Deciding what roles to use, what scenarios to play out, what materials are needed for pretend play, and so on — there are many decisions to make when your kid wants to use their pretend play toys. These all exercise your child’s brain. 

They also learn problem-solving skills during pretend play. When they use pretend play toys, children come up with new problems and situations to face. Because of this, they need to carefully come up with a possible solution to the imagined problem. This pushes them to solve or plan. And, they also learn how to cope or adapt when something doesn’t go as they planned during play.

Memories are also formed through this kind of play. Your kids remember the scenarios they played out the last time. This can come in handy when they face a similar situation. They use this to overcome any difficulties the next time around.

Enhances gross and fine motor skills

Aside from all the wonderful mental and social benefits that pretend play toys give, it’s also a wonderful way to boost your child’s physical development. To engage in pretend play, your kids have to pick up, move, and manipulate their toys. This helps develop their gross motor skills! 

For example, they use their hands to manipulate action figures and dolls — this is useful for scenarios like the Combat Force Military set, where they can play pilots flying their airplanes or goodies running after baddies.

Fine motor skills are developed here, too. They need them to manipulate smaller items or pieces of their pretend play toys. For example, when they use this Beauty Set with Dresser, they have to use their fine motor skills to apply makeup, open and close the drawer, fix their hair, and so on. There are many opportunities here for your kids to develop their physical skills!

Key Takeaway

The many benefits of pretend play toys show that it is an essential part of your child’s life and development. They learn so much by simply observing, imagining, and doing things with these toys. These lead to very important skills that will come in handy as they grow up

So, if you’re looking for more pretend play toys for your child, look no further. Funtastic Stuff has all the best toys for sale in the Philippines! Dollhouses, kitchen sets, and doctor’s kits, we have just the toys you need to fuel your child’s imagination and development.