Significance of children's make believe play in the process of socialization?

Question

by vygotsky

Answer 1

Make believe play plays a giant role in socialization.  Children use make believe to interact with one another, create and work out roles for one another, and learn to communicate with one another.  It helps children determine their role in society, by allowing them to discover who they can be.  In make believe, you can imagine you are a tiger in jungle, a doctor, a mommy, a pilot, or a mailman.  Then, children communicate with one another (working together) to build the parameters that identify them with one another and the world around them.  Playing allows them to build those social skills- turn taking, sharing, cooperating, and how to behave in ways that others will want to play with you.

Answer 2

The only significance of children's make believe play in the process of socialization is to give that child's parent/teacher a "window" into that child's interaction with others.