Imaginative Play

• Imaginative play enables children ‘to explore things

that they do not understand’ (Beardsley, 1998)
• A child has never been a mum or a dad or a dog for
example, and cannot understand what it is to be one
but these are roles s/he can adopt in imaginative play.
• Creative play involves producing or using original and
unusual ideas.
Imaginative
and creative play

• Children play imaginatively and creatively

without help from adults. However, with
thoughtful planning, adults can provide
resources and an environment that give
opportunities for children to develop their own
ideas as well as helping them to explore
feelings safely. There is no right or wrong way
to play in imaginative and creative play.
 Imaginative play
• involves making mental images
• includes using one object to represent another (symbolic play)
• includes acting being someone or something else (role-play).