No matter how much dignity you have, if a child passes you an empty cup, you have to drink. THE SYMBOLIC GAME: FICTION OR REALITY?

Around 2 years of age, the phase of the “symbolic game” begins, a fundamental period for the growth of the child, represented by fiction, imitation and disguise.

Pretend play is a phase of authentic growth for the child, in which the child begins to exploit creativity, ingenuity and imagination; it is the period in which the child learns to use symbols to represent something that is not present but that can be imagined, to use an object by attributing to it properties that it does not possess and aspects other than the usual use. For example, if the child wants to play cook without the proper accessories, he may use a cardboard box to make the pot, a rubber like a glass, a marble like a tomato, and a puzzle piece like a steak.

This process is accompanied by the imitation game , during which the child imitates the adult and the world around him. At school it is important to set up a dedicated corner , with a small house or with a piece of furniture, arranging all the necessary accessories to allow the child to freely play pretend and imagination games: fabrics, ribbons, hats, cloaks, bags, puppets, dolls and puppets are useful accessories for disguise; plates, cutlery, pots, cups and food are useful accessories for the house and the kitchen.

But even at home it is good to provide the child with some games to play with in this developmental phase .

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For the game of disguises it is necessary to buy some accessories with which the child can dress up as a fireman, a policeman, a princess or a dancer or provide the child with fabrics and ribbons to make him decide for himself what to make, perhaps giving him a hand to assemble his new costume. For imitation, on the other hand, small games are enough such as a kitchen ( with plates, glasses, cutlery and pots ), a carpenter’s workbench with his tools, a doctor’s bag , a cleaning trolley , a dressing table , a set of baskets , fruit and vegetables , etc.

The teacher and / or parent who wants to participate in these games, will have to support the proposals that will be made, will have to show interest and will have to accept the “rules” dictated by the child giving it the right importance and recognizing the right value. It does not matter if the child will pass you a “transparent” or empty coffee cup; you will have to drink and by doing so you will accept to be part of his world in which he will be happy to let you enter. It is the world that he can build, modify and destroy at will, when and how he wants, based on the memories and emotional states connected to it, and which distances him from reality where instead there are rules and prohibitions to be respected.

The child in this evolutionary phase, no longer plays alone, but learns to play with others, acquiring a social value, of interaction, of sharing and at the same time a greater mastery of language, continuing to explore, create and use the imagination . It also demonstrates the ability to understand that the representation of reality is very different from reality itself… but it is a game and in the game everything is possible!