Creative play is an important part of typical early childhood development. Using imagination, symbolism, and “pretending” engages a child’s cognitive, emotional, speech language, social, and motor centers of the brain. Lack of creative play or extreme difficulty or rigidity around it can be a sign of atypical development. Creative play is sometimes incorporated into child therapy.
Creative play, even later in childhood, can be an outlet for conscious and unconscious emotions, fantasies, and curiosities that may otherwise be bottle up. Creative play with peers can assist with social skill development and closeness.
Some adults may easily transition into a more creative and playful stance when engaging with children and others may have great difficulty. Caregiver discomfort with creative play can be a topic to explore in parent focused therapy especially if there are difficulties with bonding or behaviors.
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