Lets Pretend! Imaginative Play in Irish Early Years Services: Practitioners Perspectives and Approaches

Imaginative play is beneficial to young childrens development, their well-being, and allows creativity to flourish. Opportunities to engage in imaginative play at home are being reduced due to the changing nature of childhood, including increasing amounts of time in early years services. This article shares research that examined the perspectives of ten early years practitioners on the benefits of imaginative play, the adults role in supporting this play, considering both their indoor and outdoor environments. The qualitative research design included interviews with practitioners from services in West Cork, Ireland and the collection of photographic data reflecting their indoor and outdoor environments. Results reveal practitioners appreciate the benefits of imaginative play, that it is well promoted in early years settings, though complex skills and knowledge are required for effective practice. However, outdoor environments were found to be underutilised for this purpose and the participating Montessori environments were less supportive of imaginative play.