As If: The importance of make-believe for children (and other human beings)

"Sometime during the second year of life, a fascinating behavior emerges in the life of a child, a behavior that will characterize much of the child's activity during the early childhood years. This behavior is referred to by a variety of terms: pretend, fantasy, imaginary play, and dramatic play. It is the type of play that lets a child remove herself from the immediate here and now and enter the worlds of 'once upon a time' and 'lands far, far away'. It is the play of carpets becoming a stack of pancakes and a cardboard box becoming a car. It is the play of a red towel tied around your neck turning you into a superhero and the play of a crying baby doll needing the comfort of your parental arms. It is the play of two friends going off to fight dragons in the far regions of the backyard. It is the play of make-believe; it is the play of as if"--