Misconception 1: Adults should plan and resource pretend   

play. 

Misconception 2: Children need 'dressing-up' outfits such as a nurse's or fire-fighter's outfit in order to pretend. 

   Drawing on the 'Funds of knowledge' research   (Moll et al., 1992), leaving it open children to draw on their personal cultural knowledge and self-initiate pretend play can result in more meaningful and richer play than any planned and resourced by adults. It will also often include a focus on communicating about aspects of mathematics (Worthington, 2018; Worthington & van Oers, 2016).

* In England there is no requirement that adults should plan

and resource pretend play.

References

Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff,D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory into Practice 3(2), 132-141.  

Worthington, M. (2018). Funds of knowledge: Children’s cultural ways of knowing mathematics. In V. Kinnear, M-Y Lai & T. Muir (Eds.), Forging connections in early mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 239-258). Springer.

Worthington, M., & van Oers, B. (2016). Pretend play and the cultural foundations of mathematics.

European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 24(1), 51-66.