white paper

Mastery through make-believe play

What are the benefits of make-believe play?

Make-believe play, is one of the most human behaviours, as it involves our ability as humans to understand that an object can represent something that it is not: A stick can be an ice cream, a stone can be money. Or a doll can represent a living baby, even though the child is aware of the difference between the two.

Make-believe play, or symbolic play, creates a playful platform for experimenting with thinking skills. It also supports the development of life skills, emotional growth, and language, literacy, and communication.

In this white paper KOMPAN Play Institute highlight the multiple benefits of make-believe play, both for young children and up to school-age children.

white paper

Mastery through make-believe play

7 Recommendations for inspiring make-believe play in playgrounds

  1. Motivate make-believe play. Intriguing themes like animals, houses, shops, traffic, and fairy tales can easily be related to children’s lived experiences and are easier to start talking about.

  2. Increase play duration with intriguing elements such as manipulative play spheres, mirrors, bells, turnable plates in desks or auditive stimulation with music panels.

  3. Increase play benefits by combining themed settings with physical play activities: Spring riders, spinning equipment, fireman’s poles and swings will be part of the make-believe or dramatic play taking place in the playground and add activity, in particular for older children.

  4. Increase play duration by adding space and opportunities for breaks, for instance with tables or counters under platforms in post and platform systems, or with benches next to themed play equipment areas.

  5. Increase the number of children who can use the play equipment at any one time with designs featuring more access and exit points and both inside and outside activities. Offering double-sided play panels under platforms increases play opportunities as children can participate in an activity both on the inside and the outside of the play equipment.

  6. Broaden user age, ability and accessibility by offering all of the above at ground level. Never underestimate the value of good ground-level play. With the right number of varied, themed play challenges at ground level, such as play houses, cars, themed seesaws or low combination systems, the make-believe play of children up to eight years can be well-supported.

  7. Consider adding sand areas to your themed play equipment. Sand and water play can support make-believe and dramatic play with props that will prolong playtime, just like manipulative items (see point 2).

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