Imagination and Fantasy in Early Childhood

More than costumes or props, young kids need time and space to work out the basics of how to collaborate. This article explains how dramatic play provides an environment to build crucial skills like negotiation, compromise, and agreement.

This article explains how imagination-driven play builds a young child’s developmental skills.

This article makes the connection between imaginative play and language, why to encourage pretend play, and how pretend play develops by age.

This article for early childhood educators gives a case study of preschoolers engaging in dramatic play on the playground. After reading the story and teacher reflections, you can use the Reflective Questions to deepen your thinking and shape your teaching practices.

This parent resource focuses on the benefits of imaginary play including building empathy, promoting mastery over fears and stressors, improving social-interaction skills, and more.

This article shares how accepting and supporting children’s interests leads to their happiness.

This parent resource explains how toddlers develop play skills from ages 2 to 3, and what toys and activities are appropriate for their age.

This NAEYC article describes several preschool-centered dramatic play environments and how to reflect the languages and cultures of the children and families that make up the classroom and local community

This journal defines the cluster of concepts related to pretend play and cognition and briefly synthesizes the latest research on the role of such play in children’s cognitive, social, and academic development.