Feature Psychology

When it’s playtime, many kids prefer reality over fantasy

Children may enjoy practical activities far more than we thought

child's hands helping adult roll out dough

THE REALITIES OF PLAY  Just like kids in hunter-gatherer and herding communities, many children in Western societies prefer play that mimics the things that adults do.

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By Bruce Bower

Young children travel to fantasy worlds every day, packing just imaginations and a toy or two.

Some preschoolers scurry across ocean floors carrying toy versions of cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants. Other kids trek to distant universes with miniature replicas of Star Wars robots R2-D2 and C-3PO.