Meaningful play is the cornerstone for teaching big lessons to little ones at Pretend City
Kidsguide Magazine Online
Sept. 1, 2009

Within the walls of Orange County’s newest children’s museum is a city fit for the littlest pretenders, big dreamers and future leaders. Welcome to Pretend City, where playing dress-up is just one of the ways to teach tykes how the world around them works.

The Irvine-based museum this weekend opened its doors for the first time to the public, introducing guests to a miniature city that’s home to a grocery store, farm, doctor’s office, beach and marina, construction site, and all the other accoutrements that comprise a community. That includes outfits that children can don for their very own make-believe sessions as they explore a host of interactive exhibits throughout the 28,000-square-foot facility.

Using dress-up and roleplay as mechanisms for learning, Pretend City’s exhibits seek to promote and instill important life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking and leadership development. Learning by hands-on activities and through interaction is the kind of meaningful play child development pioneers such as Jean Piaget and psychologist Lev Vygotsky have found to be effective ways for children to learn and absorb social concepts. In addition, every exhibit meets the California State Educational Standards. (Learn about Pretend City’s educational philosophy and framework here.)

Twelve years in the making, Pretend City is the vision of a diverse group of child and education advocacy organizations, museum officials and philanthropists who saw the need and value of a museum that serves as a community resource. Its numerous program offerings include teacher training courses, field trips opportunities, classes for parents and little ones.

Ready to become a Pretend City citizen? Get to know this special city when you log on to www.pretendcity.org.

Images courtesy of Pretend City.