---
title: "Pretend Play — AP Psychology Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "Pretend play is make-believe play where kids act out imagined roles and scenarios. It signals symbolic thinking in Piaget's preoperational stage (Topic 6.3)."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-psych-revised/key-terms/pretend-play"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP Psychology"
---

# Pretend Play — AP Psychology Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

Pretend play, also known as imaginative play or make-believe, is a type of play where children use their imagination to create scenarios and act out different roles and events.

## Related Study Guides

- [6.3 Cognitive Development in Childhood](/ap-psych-revised/unit-6/cognitive-development-childhood/study-guide/aVv1M6VBKwxRcxzwCIhj)

## Review

### Related Terms

- Symbolic Play: A type of play that occurs when children use objects, actions or ideas to represent other objects, actions, or ideas as play.
- Role Play: The acting out or performance of a particular role, either consciously (as a technique in therapy or training) or unconsciously, in accordance with social expectations attached to that role.
- Sociodramatic Play: A type of pretend play where children enact various roles and themes in stories that they create.