Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/problems-in-make-believe-real-and-pretend/5009960/
Not long ago an experienced director of a program for normal four and five year olds called me to ask my opinion on a problem she was having. Three boys were playing in a very disturbing way. The boys called themselves "robbers" and pretended to cut apart baby dolls. In the middle of some activity, one of the boys would cry out "The babies!" and all three would dash to the doll corner to begin hacking away with play knives and sticks at the dolls' arms and legs. The director and her teachers were puzzled. Were the boys just playing or were they practicing violence and cruelty? The answer isn't obvious or clear cut. Teachers and directors can, however, develop guidelines to judge the health or ill health of fantasy play. In so doing, they can increase their chances for making wise decisions over whether and how to intervene.Is the Fantasy Mature?
In mature make-believe play, children create characters who are fanciful. These characters interact rather than going their separate ways. The actions are imag-inary, not ordinary; and the scenes are imaginative rather than straight out of real life. Mature fantasy ...