Pretend play is probably the most important aspect of development for children at any age. Imaginative play lends itself well into so many developmental areas. Mostly, pretend play allows children to practice real-life scenarios and worked out how to handle it. Dramatic play is a safe way to explore those 'scary things' in a child's life while still having the comfort of it only being pretend. Children can solve problems that they may encounter in a safe and nurturing way, and it opens the door to great discussions between adults and children.

Pretend play toys and playsets are also great for improving vocabulary skills. While younger children benefit in obvious strides from conversational pretend play, older children also learn to use difficult and new words in context while still being in a 'safe' environment.

Imaginative play may look simple, but it is actually complex human behavior. Wooden kitchen toys help children to learn about food and how to prepare it and plastic dishes and play utensils help learn good table manner in easy and fun way!

Infants in a high chair play with gravity as they repeatedly push food, a spoon, or a toy off the table top with delight. Their intent is play and their delight is the sense of competence they experience when their predictions are fulfilled and the object falls down. Adults may get annoyed at having to replace or cleanup the items that infants drop, but they might be mollified to learn that playing infants are building a model of physics from the perspective of a high chair.

Children who actively engage in dramatic play tend to have better social skills as well. Putting themselves in self-created situations gives the children a chance to learn to appropriately interact with friends and others. Playing with puppets or plush marionettes, they can work on manners and correct behavior while still having a great deal of fun. Let your child be a king and teach him medieval history at the same time.

Adult/parent interaction with a child in pretend play can open doors to deeper discussions about problems - with friends, in school, or just in life in general. Use pretend play with puppets or stuffed animals to encourage a child to open up and share something that may be bothering him or her. Sometimes, children can communicate better in third person than speaking on a more personal level; just remember to be open and non-threatening as well as non-judgmental.