The importance of symbolic play

What does symbolic play means?

Symbolic play is a vital childhood experience that makes it possible to transform, live thousands of lives, create other worlds, play at being others, thus learning to think and feel like others, and, ultimately, knowing that there are ways of thinking and feel different from your own. For the child, the game satisfies the need to understand reality and allows him to interact with others (children or adults).

It is a free and autonomous game, it hardly needs conditions, although it is enriched if the spaces, objects or dedication times are suitable and make it easier for it to appear. It does not require the intervention of adults, although sometimes a look that shows interest favors it. It does not need to be taught (the real experts in symbolic play are the boys and girls).

The symbolic game can be played alone and in many contexts, but as a social game it is essential to do it with other children and its pedagogical purpose is so interesting that it should be taken into account by any adult who interacts with children.

Play spaces are the best scenario for the appearance and development of symbolic play that is manifested through movement, relationships and the vaivén of thought that enables and organizes the playful action of children.

It is true that the game, in essence, does not require specific places, however, the player's journey always starts from a real part or space that will later allow them to create their own symbolic game spaces.

The symbolic play benefits

As we mentioned, the use of symbolic play is very important in the development of children. It is this type of role-playing that has great benefits for the development of a child's intellectual, social, physical, and mental functioning.

- Encourage the acquisition of new behaviors.

- Stimulates the learning of social skills and skills such as cooperation and teamwork.

- Encourage creativity and imagination.

- It helps to externalize feelings and emotions such as fear, anger, pain or sadness in an appropriate way.

- It helps to understand and master your own body.

- Arouse curiosity.

- It helps to understand the function of the environment and things.

- In Juegoyjardin playground store we have a selection of symbolic children's games, so that children enjoy, explore and use their imagination while playing, such as: children's binoculars, children's telescope, children's boat rudder, among others.