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