Here at Pop Up Play Village fuelling children’s imaginations is what we are all about. It is one of our six core values which sit at the heart of everything that we do.
Role play is the perfect type of play to fuel children’s imaginations. As a child gets into a role, they are imagining what it would be like to be that character using both knowledge and experience that they have of the world and their imaginations too. When a child walks into Pop Up Play Village, there is a whole village of role play scenarios to explore meaning there is so much opportunity for imaginative play to take place. Children are at the driving seat in our village, they can choose where and how they play in the different areas, this fuels them to use their imaginations when exploring.
Pop Up Play Village is a very sociable place to play. As children are role playing, they may be listening and watching how other children are playing, getting ideas and inspiration for their own play. They may be playing alongside or with other children using their imaginations together to create a story or scene. This is such a powerful way to learn about others and the world around them.
So why is it important that children fuel their imaginations?
When children use their imaginations in their play, they are practising and developing their language and social skills in a context that they understand. This in turn boosts their confidence skills as they learn how to communicate with others and learn about the world around them. As parents and guardians, we want our children to grow up confident and successful and the development of these skills starts right from birth.
Through imaginative play, children can also role play difficult social situations where they may not get what they want. Through role play, it is a safe space to explore these situations and work out a solution to deal with the problem. This helps children to learn how to manage their emotions.
Children love to learn about the world through imaginative play. They learn new things every day and in order for children to make sense and to understand what they have learnt; role play is a way that they often choose to do this. This makes it amazing for developing their understanding and developing problem solving skills as they test out scenarios in a safe environment that feels relevant to them.
These are just a few of the ways that imaginative play is so crucial in supporting children’s development. These skills that they are learning through role play are skills needed to navigate life successfully as they grow up. As you can probably tell, I am a huge advocate for children learning through role play and it never ever gets boring watching children exploring and learning in our village!
Written by Becky, Franchisor of Pop Up Play Village
