The power of pretend: unveiling the role of play complexity in self-regulation among polish preschool children

Pretend play is crucial for preschool children's cognitive and social development and has potential links to self-regulation. While prior research suggests associations between pretend play complexity and self-regulation, the relations between specific dimensions of pretend play and specific dimensions of self-regulation remain underexplored. This study examines associations between pretend play dimensions and behavioral and emotional self-regulation, expecting cognitive dimensions (organization, elaboration, imagination) to relate positively to behavioral regulation and the social interaction dimension to emotional regulation. Participants included 93 children (50.5% girls, Mage = 60.77 months, SD = 13.34) in Krakow, Poland. Pretend play was assessed using indicators of complexity and social relationships using observational assessments. Children's behavioral self-regulation and emotion regulation was evaluated through direct assessments. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the organization aspect of pretend play (β = .38, p = .024) and age (β = 0.55, p 2 = .07, p = .352). Structured pretend play may support behavioral self-regulation in preschoolers, while its role in emotional self-regulation remains unclear. Further research should explore additional play characteristics and contextual factors influencing self-regulation.