Theories of Childhood, Second Edition (Carol Garhart Mooney) / quote 69 of 70
Make-believe play builds self-regulation
While much is known about the positive effects of make-believe play on children’s social, early literacy, and early mathematical development, research has shown that make-believe play also has positive effects on the development of self-regulation skills in young children (Singer, Golinkoff, and Hirsh-Pasek 2006). Inherent in make-believe play is the zone of proximal development, because it is during this type of social play that children frequently behave beyond their years and above their everyday behavior. As children participate in make-believe play, they are practicing regulating behavior naturally—they regulate other children by telling them what to do; they regulate themselves by staying in their roles and trying not to do anything that might interrupt the flow of the play; and they are regulated by other children when they agree to roles and rules that may not be the ones they had in mind.