Three theories about make-believe play – what scientists say about pretending

We know play supports your toddler to develop a range of skills, but over the years there have been debates among scientists about exactly how. Make-believe play is something we often take for granted, perhaps as our children hand us a ‘cup of tea’; but how does pretending help your toddler learn about the world? We’ve looked at how three psychologists and their ideas about this kind of play answer the question.  

Sigmund Freud – neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis (early 20th Century)  

Children explore their worries and the outcomes they would like in a non-threatening way through make-believe play.  

They can take control of experiences that worry them, copy the adults they admire and begin to think about how they want to be in the future.  

Jean Piaget – psychologist (1920s until 1980) 

Make-believe play is one of several symbolic strategies that children use to understand the world. 

They explore possible roles and strengthen their mental representations through play, so children develop the ability to represent the world and objects through thoughts and language as they play.  

Lev Vygotsky – psychologist (1920s and 30s) 

Make-believe play is a powerful influence on children’s learning and helps them to develop self-regulation.  

Play helps children to use representation to think about alternatives; at first this is through pretending one thing is something else in their play. Then this leads to being able to think about possibilities and make deliberate choices rather than acting on impulse.  

Vygotsky also believed that play allows children to explore social rules, and their desire to behave impulsively, so suggested that make-believe play supports children to become self-regulated and responsible.  

Whether you lean towards Freud, Piaget or Vygotsky's theory, or possibly all three, the resounding idea is that pretend play is a really positive thing for your toddler, so enjoy that ‘cup of tea’ when it’s offered!