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.

The ability to pretend play generally first emerges at 15-18 months. By about 20 months children start to imitate life around them. By the time they are four or five the play is complex and involves interacting with others and acting out characters.

But apart from being a part of development, are there other benefits? Our study suggests pretend play can also help mental health.

According to the World Health Organization, about around one in seven children and adolescents are affected by mental health conditions. Most interventions target problems after they emerge, rarely addressing the developmental foundations that could prevent them.

In our study, we analysed data from more than 1,400 Australian children taking part in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

Their pretend play ability was assessed by early childhood educators over a one-year period, when children were aged between two and three. This related to how well a child was able to:

do simple pretend play like feeding a doll or stuffed animal

do simple pretend play like feeding a doll or stuffed animal

pretend one object is a substitute for something else, like using a towel as a blanket or a box for a house

pretend one object is a........

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