SitterCycle: Kids + Imaginative Play

Do your kids love playing dress ups, or with dolls? Do you find they’ll play for hours with the cardboard box, and push cartons around the kitchen floor under your feet all afternoon? Yet give them a structured play set and they’ll soon look to you for guidance? Maybe you find yourself becoming the “mummy” cat whilst they run around the yard mewling and enacting strange animal behaviours?

Yep? Oh wait, me too!

Here in the nanny life, we love imaginative play. We love it so much that evening bath times turn into ritual-like sessions so indulgent that little fingers turn into shrivelled prunes and the bath water becomes freezing ice water before we can make our way into bed.

So why does this happen?

Because your kids, and my nanny kids, are indulging in the true form of beautiful, unadulterated free-play. And in terms of childhood development, this is pure gold.

Children & Imaginative Play + Why Is It Important?

Imaginative play first begins to occur from around the age of two onwards. Although we do know that kids tend to grow and develop at varying stages.

You’re probably already familiar with imaginative play; you’ll often see it in the form of “pretend” play. Or when kids answer, “it’s just pretend” after you’ve attempted to stop them from feeding their dinner to the doll.

As adults, this “playing pretend” can sometimes grate on us. I know that if I’m not in the right mood, scooting around on the floor purring and meowing because Miss 5 is the “owner” and I’m the “baby kitten” can get old very quickly – about the time it takes for my knees to start protesting!

But it’s the process that’s important. It’s your child taking control of a situation, experimenting with cause and effect, and dealing with outcomes based on decision-making.

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7 Ideas For Kids + Imaginative Play

We love imaginative play because it’s the time for little minds to engage their creativity, to explore their surroundings, to try on new experiences, and even better, to wind down a little.

So support and encourage imaginative play in your children, it’s best to start simple. To create a great environment to allow this precious process, dedicate a purpose area and construct together a series of “offerings” to kick start the process. To see some examples for fostering imaginative play, and to read the complete article, click here to find 7 ideas for offering ‘invitations to play.’

Loving this article? Want to see more ideas on imaginative play? Jump over to SitterCycle, to see the full list of ideas: 7 Ideas To Foster Imaginative Play In Your Kids.

**This article appeared first online at SitterCycle.com, contributed by Nanny SheCanDo.

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At SitterCycle our mission is to improve the lives of families, nannies, and professional care givers through supportive education, resources and community. SitterCycle professional development classes certification programs are address the rigours of childcare and promote successful working relationships between nannies and the families who employ them.