Develop social skills
As children play pretend, they explore relationships between family members, friends and coworkers and learn more about how people interact. Playing doctor, they imagine how physicians care for their patients. Playing house, they learn more about how parents feel about their children. Imaginative play helps develop empathy(同情) for others. If children can imagine how it feels to be left out of a game or to lose a pet, they are better able to help those in need. They become more willing to play fair, to share, and to cooperate.
Build selfconfidence
Young children have very little control over their lives. Imagining oneself as a builder of skyscrapers(摩天大楼) or a superhero defending the planet is empowering to a child. It helps them develop confidence in their abilities and their potential.
Boost intellectual growth
Using the imagination is the beginning of abstract thought.Children who can see a king's castle in a mound(堆) of sand or a delicious dinner in a mud pie are learning to think symbolically(象征性地). This skill is important in school where a child will have to learn that numerals symbolize groups of objects, letters symbolize sounds, and so on.
Practice language skills
Kids who play pretend with their friends do a lot of talking.This helps boost their vocabulary, improve sentence structure and promote communication skills.
Work out fears
Playing pretend can help children work out their fears and worries. When children roleplay about the big, bad monster under the bed, they gain a sense of control over him and he doesn't seem quite so big or so bad. Imaginative play also helps kids vent(发泄) confusing feelings they might have, such as anger toward a parent or compete with a new sibling(兄弟姐妹)．
To encourage your youngster's imagination, read to him every day. Books offer children the opportunity to visit other worlds and create new ones of their own.
For generations children have enjoyed reading the story of Peter Pan because Peter takes them on fascinating adventures.Reader's Digest Young Families offers a beautiful typical Disney edition of Peter Pan, which is an iParenting Media Award winner. Click here to find out how you can get this classic story along with 2 free books-Bambi and Pinocchio.
小题1:What's NOT the advantage of children having a good imagination?
A．Understanding the other people's feelings and problems.
B．Expressing their feelings like anger.
C．Having a strong faith in their own abilities and potential.
D．Helping them form a good habit of reading stories.小题2:What does the underlined word “Boost” mean?
A．Improve.
B．Limit.
C．Push.
D．Praise.小题3:From the last paragraph we can learn that ________．
A．Reader's Digest Young Families wins an iParenting Media Award
B．Disney edition of Peter Pan can be got online for free
C．the story of Peter Pan has been popular with kids
D．Bambi and Pinocchio are offered for free because of bad sales小题4:What's the purpose of writing the article?
A．To tell readers the benefits of encouraging children's imagination.
B．To introduce some wonderful Disney stories to readers.
C．To provide ways of helping make kids more imaginative.
D．To persuade parents to buy the Disney edition of Peter Pan.
