Kool Beginnings Curriculum – Let’s Pretend

Our Kool Beginnings Curriculum (KBC) block ‘Let’s Pretend’ includes roleplay, imaginative play, and dramatic play. In these activities, children take on different roles, acting as someone or something else, whether from real life or fantasy (like themselves in different situations, other people, animals, characters, or even machines) and act out their feelings and events.

Sometimes, the term pretend play is used for dramatic or imaginative play, but the difference is that dramatic play needs the child to take on a role, while pretend or imaginative play does not. Either way, this type of play involves breaking down the barriers of reality.

There are two types of pretend play, which are structured and unstructured dramatic play: Structured play has a pre-determined set and desired outcome. Unstructured play is where children have the freedom to choose their own play scenarios and often create their own resources based on what is available to them.

As children engage in both types of pretend play, they are developing complex thinking skills, strategies, communication, and social skills.

Through ‘Let’s Pretend’, children learn to do things like negotiate, transfer knowledge from one situation to another, delay gratification, balance their own ideas with others, develop a plan and act on it, explore symbolism, express and listen to thoughts and ideas, assign tasks and roles, and create different information and ideas. Developing important complex social and higher order thinking skills whilst cultivating social and emotional intelligence (reading social cues, recognising and regulating emotions, negotiating with others and taking turns). Children often use ‘Let’s Pretend’ as a way of exploring various experiences, sometimes these are common and sometimes these can be more personal challenges which may be confusing or scary. Through this play, children become more comfortable and prepared for life events in a safe way.