Make-Believe Play: Studying Children's Cognitive Development

One of the most incredible things while observing a Child in their early life is the intense imagination they can possess. They can create a whole new universe with the simplest materials which is why, make-believe play should be a huge focus when it comes to studying children’s development especially when it comes to their cognitive development. The textbook covers many topics in the sense of make-believe. The text discusses theorist’s views on the topic; the benefits of the type of play and how different “make-believe” play can be at the early ages. For example, the main theorist discussed, Piaget, believes that the sociodramatic play increases sensorimotor development which then allowed them to create scenarios or images of experience …show more content…

The next stage is when children become less self consumed in their play. They begin adding others in when it comes to their play. For example, when kids first begin playing they do minor things dealing with only themselves, eventually they get to the second stage where they may have to focus on more than just themselves. The last stage consist of children creating more in depth schemas, such as playing “house” where things are more complex and more thought out. In conclusion, it is evident that make-believe play or sociodramatic play can enhance a child’s cognitive growth or future social skills. With the certain stages and the views theorist have taken on this important milestone it raises many questions with how much it can truly impact a child or how much of a difference it can make between a child who did not necessarily take part in make-believe play and a child who did.

Research Questions:
1. Does make-believe play cause the idea of gender roles to appear later in life? For example, a little girl constantly playing with baby dolls growing up to want to be a stay at home mother?
2. What is the difference between children and their social skills when it comes to the form of play they mainly took