Play Develops the Creative Aspect of the Child’s Personality
Imagination
Play, which arises from within, expresses the child’s personal, unique response to the environment. It is inherently a self-expressive activity that draws richly on the child’s powers of imagination (Elkind, 2007; Jones & Cooper, 2006; Jones & Reynolds, 2011; Isenberg & Quisenberry, 2002; Jalongo, 2003). As Nourot (1998) has said, “The joyful engagement of children in social pretend play creates a kind of ecstasy that characterizes the creative process throughout life” (p. 383).
Divergent Thinking
Play increases the child’s repertoire of responses. Divergent thinking is characterized by the ability to produce more than one answer, and it is evident that play provides opportunities to develop alternative ways of reacting to similar situations. For example, when the children pretend that space creatures have landed in the yard, some may respond by screaming and running, others by trying to “capture” them, and still others by engaging them in conversation and offering them a refreshing snack after their long journey.