Pretend Play in Childhood: A Conversation with Sandra Russ

Our guest on this episode is Sandra Russ, the author of Pretend Play in Childhood: The Foundation of Adult Creativity.

In the podcast:

When do children begin engaging in pretend play, and fantasy play? (1:00) — Helping children develop their imagination, understanding of others’ perspectives, and manage their emotions (1:45) — Does society adequately appreciate the importance of play for children? (2:45) — What can parents do to encourage their children to develop in pretend play, and what is the impact of iPhones and iPads? (4:30) — What happens to children after the age of 10, when they grow out of pretend play? (7:45) — Gender differences in pretend play (10:45) — Have gender differences changed over the past 20 years? (12:15) — The objects of play, vs. the narratives that children weave around the objects of play (14:45) — How did you originally enter this field of research? (15:15) — Using play in therapy (16:00) — How does play differ across cultures? (19:00) — How can adults cultivate creativity in their daily life and work? (21:45)