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Fotini Vasilopoulos, Postdoctoral Researcher, Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney

Pretend play is a magical part of childhood. New research suggests it can also help mental health

Liliana Drew/ Pexels

Pretend play is a significant and often magical part of childhood.

Children have huge imaginations and use these to turn rocks into spaceships, tables into forts or pens into fairies. They might pretend to be “mum” or to “cook dinner”. Or they may invent their own characters, worlds and concepts that have no bearing on anything adults are able to come up with.

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