Play Materials Used in Children's Pretend Play: Structured Versus Unstructured Toys

유아들의 가상놀이 촉진을 위한 놀잇감 사용: 놀잇감의 구조성을 중심으로

This integrative review of research on the role of toys in the pretend play of young children investigated claims about the relative effects of abstract or unrealistic compared with concrete or realistic toys. Researchers and educators acknowledge the benefits of pretend play as an expression of the child's capacity of symbolic functioning and they attend to strategies for promoting pretend play at each stage of its development, including the selection and presentation of playthings. Highly structured or realistic toys were once thought to impede pretend play because they can only be used for a single intended purpose whereas less structured toys are pliant and hold the child's interest over longer periods of time as new ideas are tried out. However, the present review suggests that realistic toys are effective for very young children who still have limited representational capacity, and that realistic toys continue to give impetus to make-believe even for kindergarten children.