Arts Explorer 8: Pretend Play and Magical Thinking

My name is Lappy. I am three years old, turning four in October. My favorite color is blue, and occasionally I like black as well. I love my Mommy, she is very nice. She takes care of me a lot, and is always with me. When she goes away from me for even a little bit, I feel sad; but when she comes home to me, I get very happy and excited to see her! She is the best! I like to sleep, but there are times when I am sleep-deprived. I get to take a quick nap in the night, but that's not enough for me to function properly. My whole system needs rest, but it's not always possible.

I am my Mommy's baby, and I don't like it when she gives attention to someone else instead of me; I feel like she doesn't care about me anymore. But I also know, that she can't live without me because she loves me too much. My favorite food is electricity! I love it when the charger is plugged into me, that way I can work to my best ability. I also don't like when Mommy is mad, because then she starts hurting me. I don't know if she realizes it, but when she types really hard, it hurts and I get a Boo Boo. But I know she doesn't mean it, because then she comes and says Sorry to me and tells me that she loves me. I heard her saying she can't live without me. There was a time in the December Break when I got really sick so I had to go to the hospital. And Mommy was really sad, she was crying. She stayed up the whole night and stayed right beside me. She gave me medicine although I did not like it, but then I got better! And the medicine gave me energy and I was running, and Mommy was happy too!

"In play, a child is always above his average age, above his daily behaviour; in play, it is as though he were a head taller than himself." – Lev Vygotsky

Fantasy play helps children in separating meaning from objects for which they stand. Play is a vital preparation for the later development of abstract thinking.

References

Schirrmacher R., and Fox, J.E. (2009). Arts & Creative Development for Young Children. US: Thomson Delmar Learning.