UC Riverside

Pretend play is a powerful mechanism of and context for children’s cognitive, affective, and social development. Research has documented relations between features of pretend play, such as the quality of expressed fantasy and the quantity of expressed affect, and varied developmental outcomes. Although there is theoretical and empirical support for the importance of both cognitive and affective facets of play in development, little is known about changes in the form and function of play across childhood. This investigation evaluated the structure and development of children’s pretend play in a diverse community sample of 250 children across three longitudinal play assessments at ages 4, 6, and 8. The data supported a two-factor play structure across childhood and in diverse groups with regard to child gender, race/ethnicity, and poverty status. Multilevel models documented the level and linear change patterns in cognitive and affective play factors over time. Although Hispanic race/ethnicity was associated with lower levels of the cognitive play factor at age 4, and poverty status was associated with lower levels of the cognitive play factor and the affective play factor at age 4, no predictors accounted for the significant variance that remained in the linear change parameter for the cognitive, but not the affective, factor. Together, these findings extend the literature on pretend play by evaluating competing models of the structure of play and documenting patterns of cognitive and affective development in children’s pretend play over time and in diverse groups. Implications are discussed to inform research on play and adjustment and guide practice and policy efforts that foster both.