Playing is kind of a full-time job when you’re a kiddo. Also, “Let’s pretend… One more time!” has been Battat’s slogan ever since it started. Coincidence? I think not! If you think about it, all of Battat toys are powered by tiny imaginations. Ok, ok yes, sometimes powered by batteries too. But mostly, by the vivid minds of the younger generation.
Think about it… Remember those days, yeeeaaars ago, where you just spent hours pretending to be someone else? Were you the police officer on duty or the fourth-grade teacher? Or, maybe you played House with your siblings? Did you argue on who got to be the mom all the time? Oh no, wait… I know! You were that famous pop singer!
But, Pretend Play doesn’t stop at pretending to be someone else. It is also the act of creating a story around objects or characters. The best example of that is the absolute all-time classic Big Red Barn everyone had when they were a kid. This staple toy transcends all generation and all classes. It doesn’t matter if you grew up in the suburbs or the middle of downtown… you probably had your own toy farm playset. Some had a barn. Some had a bucket with all the farm animals, and the luckiest kids had both!
Toddlers learn by imagining and then, by doing! And as a parent myself, I can tell you that observing your child in a pretend play scenario can be VERY entertaining just give it a watch! After all, is there anything wilder than the imagination of a toddler? Yeah, didn’t think so either. Experimenting with different social roles is the best way kids get to forge their own identity. And at the same time, it allows them to understand the world around them. How so? By figuring out what they need to do in a given role-play situation. Ex: “What will I need to put my baby doll to sleep?”
A quick google search will send plenty of ideas your way when it comes to make-belief play. And that’s what’s so magical about pretend play; you gather a few things around the house, download some awesome printables just like these, add a toy cash register and, VOILÀ! You now have a public market (with the cutest little merchant), right in the middle of your living room. Time to grab your basket and go shopping, mommy. “How much for these tomatoes sweetie?” “It will be a big total of 2 kisses.”
[ Download Printables as a PDF ]
Pretend Play is one of the most essential parts of childhood. It helps develop precious social and emotional skills such as empathy, language, logical thinking, curiosity, self-esteem, self-control, problem-solving and many, many more.
And while we try to do our best raising this next generation, remember… It’s great to teach them how to count, but how about we put a little more emphasis on what really counts: Kindness. Because no one ever regretted being kind. Ever.