Educational Benefits of Role Play: Learning Through Pretend Play

Did you know that participating in role-play games can unlock a treasure of benefits for your little one? Whenever parents come to me for advice, the first thing that I tell them is to let their child act! Let them act in imaginary scenarios, fight imaginary villains, cook imaginary pancakes, or whatever they like because this is where their minds are developing. Pretend play or role-play is one of the best ways to ensure your kid learns while playing. 

If you don’t know what pretend play is, it means when kids imagine situations and act as if they were a part of it. This can be something as simple as doctor-patient pretend play.

In an age when kids are constantly buried in smartphones or video games, I advise parents to motivate their kids to participate in role-play. The best way to motivate them is by getting interesting pretend play toys for them. As parents, you can also participate in their role-play, like being a customer at their restaurant or a patient at their pretend clinic. 

By involving yourself, you can ensure your child gets the benefits of role-play. You can introduce pretend play to your child at the age of 3 years, as they start to imagine by this age.

Benefits Of Role Play as A Part Of Early Learning

Many parents think that their kids should play with STEM toys and puzzles to improve their brain development, but role play is equally important. I always tell parents to let their kids indulge in pretend play because it helps with their social development significantly.

There are several benefits of pretend play in early childhood, especially for kids above the age of 3 years. 

I have listed some of the benefits of role play here:

1. Encourages Thinking Skills, Imagination And Creativity

Roleplay lets children dive into a world of imagination where they can pretend to be anyone, be it a doctor, teacher, astronaut, or even a superhero. It encourages them to think outside the box.

Everytime kids get together to play, they would come up with new and different creative ideas which helps them explore new possibilities. 

It is very beneficial for promoting imagination and creativity, which the child would need in the future. 

2. Supports Personal, Social And Emotional Development

I always ask parents to let their kids play with other kids. With the increasing trend of single child, kids do not get to develop their social skills at home. When the child goes to school, he/she might not be able to make friends easily, if you do not promote social skills from the very beginning.

Roleplay often involves playing with others, which teaches children how to share, take turns, and cooperate. This will help the child learn how to interact with others and make friends.

3. Enhances Language And Communication Skills

Kids are very quick learners, and they are always observing what adults around them are doing. But, most of the time, they lack the vocabulary to express themselves. 

When they role play, they are naturally inspired to talk to other kids, act like adults (teachers or doctors) which is very good for their communication skills. 

They create conversations for their characters or explain their actions to others, or even create stories and scenarios. This constant use of language helps improve their vocabulary, sentence-building, and overall communication skills, which are some benefits of role play. 

For example, while playing doctor, they might learn new words like thermometer, injection, or prescription.

4. Build Numeracy Skills

Role play method of teaching can be used to generate a child’s interest in mathematics and science and other such fields. 

If you ask the child to pretend to be a shopkeeper and then ask them to calculate the price of something, they would happily calculate and not even realize that they are studying. 

Many studies have been published that show the importance of Pretend Play in learning.

5. Develops Thinking, Learning, And Problem-Solving Abilities

We underestimate the power of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As an adult, we face this kind of situation every day where we have to rely on our problem-solving abilities. So, I always suggest parents to promote these skills in their children early on. Pretend-play and role-play is a great way to develop these skills in kids. They are enacting real-world scenarios, which allows them to think and understand a little bit about the things that adults face. It prepares them for the real world. 

6. Boosts Academic Performance

Role play can be helpful in improving your child’s performance at school. Firstly, it makes your child more confident to interact with his teachers and classmates, they would be comfortable to ask questions, which will be very beneficial for them.

Secondly, when kids pretend to play games like going to the zoo, they learn about different animals, when they pretend to be farmers, they learn about different vegetables or crops, and so on. So, by indulging in pretend play, kids can enhance their knowledge, which will eventually help them in their academic performance.

7. Strengthens Physical Development And Motor Skills

Many roleplay activities involve physical movement, like dressing up, building forts, or mimicking actions like flying a plane or riding a horse. All these activities will certainly improve your child’s motor skills. Plus, when they play with other kids, they would be running around and walking, instead of sitting at home with a video game or smartphone.

This is going to help them stay active, and have fun while getting some much-needed physical activity.

You can also buy kids’ ride-on toys if your kids often play indoors. This way, they can get some physical activity while indoors.

Best Toys for Role Play Method Of Learning

Role-playing can only be fun when kids have the right props. No child would want to be a doctor, without having a stethoscope or other equipements. So, it is very important for parents to get them some pretend play sets or toys that would motivate them to participate in roleplaying. 

Here are some of the pretend play toys that I recommend to all the parents.

Doctor and Patient

Every kid should at least have a doctor play set where they can pretend to be a doctor or nurse or patient or whatever they like. Even though kids have limited exposure to the adult world, but every child knows what is a doctor. So, a doctor’s kit is a must-have pretend play set for kids. You can get a little doctor playset suitcase, which turns into a little table so that kids also have a designated space to open their clinic. 

Grocery Store 

Playing with grocery store pretend play toys like stop & go market set can have many benefits at once. Whether the kid is pretending to be the shopkeeper or the customer, you can teach them to count or calculate. Plus, you can teach them how to handle different situations like dealing with angry or confused customers. In addition to this, they will learn names of fruits, vegetables, and other food items. 

Kitchen / Restaurant 

Your kids see you cooking every day, and they are intrigued by it. So, introducing them to the process of cooking through kitchen sets or utensils sets is a great way to boost their development. Plus, it makes kids more curious and accepting of food, which is one of the biggest benefits of a pretend play kitchen. Kitchen sets offer so many possibilities of pretend play like they can be chefs, restaurant owners, or just cook for their toys. The possibilities are endless. 

Construction site

From a toy drill machine to pretend screwdrivers, give your kids a toolset to introduce them to basic tools. Using these tools is a necessary life skill that everyone should know, so start early and get your kids a toy tool set. They can pretend to be construction workers, mechanics, or even their Dad!!

There are several other options for pretend play, like you can get toy cars for your kids and they can pretend to be a car seller or racer. 

Conclusion

I always emphasize the importance of pretend play for young minds. This is my advice to every parent out there - to keep your kids away from screens, you have to get them toys that are more interesting than smartphones. Kids need toys! Toys are not just a means of entertainment, they are a great source of learning as well. 

This is the reason I like online platforms like Snooplay, where you can get a wide variety of toys for kids. Be it electronic toys or pretend play toys, you have so many options. So parents who are very busy, you can simply order branded toys online from Snooplay. They also have Hot Wheels cars that are equally popular among kids and adults. 

To sum it up, I would just ask parents to invest in good toys for their kids because it is very important for their brain development. Let kids be kids, give them toys, organize play dates, take them outside to play with neighborhood kids, and let them explore their imaginary world. It is all a part of their growth and development! 

FAQ About Role Play Learning

What is the role-play method in education?

The role-play method in education basically means when kids act out certain situations or scenarios to learn. The role-play method of teaching is very beneficial. 

What skills do children learn from role-play?

Kids learn many skills through role-play, like problem-solving, creative thinking, coming up with out-of-the-box solutions, and social skills.

What age is appropriate for pretend play?

According to experts, 3 years and above kids should participate in pretend play. 

What is a pretend play example?

Pretending to be a teacher and teaching the soft toys is an example of pretend play in kids. This is one of the most common pretend play games that kids play. They even act as characters from their favorite cartoons or movies.