Pretend Play Boosts Child Development, Study Says

By Victory Onyenekwe. B.Sc. Ed Physical and Health Education. Freelance Health Writer. Medically reviewed by: E. Odekina, MB.BS.

June 8, 2026

African children using wrappers as cape, carton as a castle and water bottles as musical instruments to engage in pretend play. Image generated from Google Gemini. Click on image to enlarge.

Highlights

• A new study has found that toddlers who engage more in pretend play have fewer emotional and behavioural problems by the time they start grade school.

• Pretend play is completely normal and typically begins from around the age of two, playing an important role in a child’s mental health and overall development.

• Beyond mental health, pretend play also helps children develop executive function skills, social-emotional learning, communication skills and confidence.

• For African children, pretend play comes naturally as they repurpose everyday objects and engage in cultural storytelling, allowing them to benefit from its developmental advantages.

• African parents are encouraged to actively support and participate in their children’s pretend play by allowing them to take the lead, showing patience and incorporating familiar cultural elements into play.

Introduction

One of the most exciting things about childhood is the power of imagination, the power to create magical scenarios and creatures using your mind.

Pretend play is a form of non-structured play that involves acting out scenarios, role-play and make believe. 

Children have fun during creative/imaginative play, and a study carried out in Australia has shown that it also plays a role in their mental development.

This report explores the usefulness of the study to understanding child development and how African parents can actively encourage pretend play in their children.

About the Study

Researchers conducted the study in Australia among more than 1400 children over a period of two years. The mental health and behaviours of the children were observed and assessed at ages 4 to 5, and later at ages 6 to 7, using reports from parents and educators. 

The researchers also looked at whether acting out positive or negative scenes during pretend play affected how well children managed their emotions, but they found no difference..

What the Study Found

The study found that higher levels of imaginative play at 2 - 3 years of age was associated with better mental health in children, even as they progressed into elementary school.

It also found that toddlers who engaged more in pretend play had fewer emotional and behavioural problems by the time they started grade school. This latter finding, however, had no relationship with children’s abilities to regulate their emotions. A distinction that the researchers consider less understood.

The researchers considered the study finding to be especially relevant today, as many children now have fewer opportunities for free imaginative play due to increased screen time and less structured activities.

They speculated that children performing pretend play may be engaging the cognitive regions of their brain that are thought to play a role in anxiety and attention. By simulating actions with objects -  a pillow fort becoming a castle or a wrapper/scarf becoming a cape, kids may be contributing positively to their own brain development.

How Playing Pretend Supports Child Development 

Pretend play aids child development in the following ways:

• Serves as an excellent tool for children to develop executive functions such as working memory and problem solving.

• Boosts creativity by encouraging children to create imaginative stories, characters and scenarios.

• Promotes social and emotional learning, as children take on different characters either with others or alone. This helps them develop empathy and problem-solving skills as they navigate different situations that arise during play.

• Supports the development of speech, language and communication skills.

• Encourages independent thinking and builds confidence by allowing children to make decisions and solve problems within their imaginary world.

What the Study Means for African Children and their Caregivers

Despite being conducted in Australia, this study is particularly relevant to the African environment.

Pretend play for most African children is a mimicry of daily adult life. They do not only depend on manufactured toys but repurpose objects found around the house (bottles, cartons, pillows, wrappers). This means African children are already naturally engaging in rich pretend play, which is actually ideal for their mental development.

The study also shows the benefits of having a mixed age group playing pretend outdoors, on positive behavioural outcomes in relating with others. This includes resolving conflict, taking turns and applying general social etiquettes.

Pretend play gives African children the opportunity to connect with their roots, as the stories and scenarios they act out are often deeply tied to their cultural environment and everyday experiences. However, as Africa becomes more urbanised and screen access grows, parents may gradually want to replace imaginative play with screen time. 

How can African Parents encourage Pretend Play in their Children?

Infographics displaying ways African parents can engage their children in pretend play. Image generated from Google Gemini. Click on image to enlarge.

One of the important things that African parents must understand is that in pretend play, the rules of normal daily activities do not really matter. To encourage their children to engage actively in pretend play, parents must:

• Be willing to allow their children to take the lead. Children have their own ideas about how they want their play to unfold. When parents step back, they give their children creative autonomy and build their confidence.

• Show patience while children are trying to solve problems or figure out the next step to take. Pretend play is not always smooth or straightforward. Children may pause, redirect the play, start over or include scenarios/characters that do not exist or make any sense. Resist the urge to solve things for them as working through this is where a lot of the developmental benefits happen.

• Ask open-ended questions to allow children to express themselves. Instead of asking questions with a ‘yes or no’ answer, try asking questions like what happens next?’ Or what is a character going to do next?’ This keeps the child thinking and encourages them to expand their imagination further.

• Incorporate cultural storytelling, songs and characters. Introducing familiar folktales, traditional songs and local characters are good ways to help African children develop a strong sense of cultural identity in pretend plays.

• Join in the play by taking on a low-key role, such as a customer or a visitor without taking over the play. When parents participate in pretend play, it signals to the child that their imagination is valued and this builds familial bonds.

• Avoid constant corrections or interruption, even if the child makes mistakes. If a child mispronounces a word or gets a fact wrong during play, let it go. The aim of pretend play is not academic accuracy but free expression. Constant correction can disrupt imaginative flow.

• Set aside dedicated time and space for free unstructured play every day. Pretend play can easily be pushed aside for homework, screen time and structured activities. Making pretend play a regular part of the child’s daily routine for example before bedtime, builds mental health and developmental benefits while still creating fond memories for the child.

There are different types of pretend play that parents can encourage. These include:

• Role play: where children imitate adults or characters.

• Fantasy play: where they create entirely imaginary worlds.

• Object play: where every day items are transformed into something else entirely.

Each type offers its own unique experience and benefits for the child’s development.

Conclusion

Pretend play is more than fun and games. It helps children develop problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills, supports their emotional well-being and creates lasting childhood memories. 

Parents, especially in busy households, should make time to encourage and participate in pretend play with their children, as these simple moments of imagination can have a lasting impact on their growth and happiness.

Reference:

Vasilopoulos F, Grummitt L, Bailey S, Birrell L, Dumontheil I, Francis G, et al. Longitudinal evidence of the relationship between pretend play and mental health in the early years. Early Childhood Educ J. 2026. Doi:10.1007/s10643-026-02150-7. Available from here.

Published: June 8, 2026

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