Latest

pretend play

This shows a child in a cape looking at an imaginary castle and a brain.

·April 22, 2026·8 min read

Early Imaginative Play Predicts Better Mental Health

A longitudinal study of 1,400 children links early pretend play to improved mental health outcomes, suggesting play builds brain resilience.

This shows a boy and girl playing outdoors

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 17, 2022·5 min read

What Pretend Play Tells Us About Social Cognition

By the age of two, most children are able to embark on pretend play and adopt a perspective that does not fit reality. This enables children to develop the ability to attribute perspective to others that they don't share. Findings suggest the ability to adopt perspectives, an important aspect of developing social cognition and the attribution of mental state, is already present in young children.

This shows a little boy playing peak-a-boo

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 10, 2022·3 min read

Pretend Play Should Be Studied in Children From a Younger Age

When it comes to pretend play, infants perform interactional patterns with elements of pretense a lot earlier than previously believed. Researchers say pretend play should be considered an interpersonal feature of cognitive development, and not an end product.