During my time as an intern at the Hamill Family Play Zoo, I have adopted a new way of thinking about pretend play, specifically when it comes to animals. "Becoming" an animal is one way that the Hamill Family Play Zoo staff offer avenues for children to practice empathy for other living things. Pretend play is an amazing way for children to explore their thoughts and emotions about a topic. When a child pretends to be an animal, they can embody what it might be like to be that animal, putting themselves in the animal’s “shoes”. At the Play Zoo, children can use face paint to paint their own faces. They can paint whatever they please, but it is not uncommon for a child to decorate their face as their favorite animal at the zoo. In addition to the face paint, there are animal tails and costumes in every area of the building.
Children using face paint at the Hamill Family Play Zoo to paint their own faces.
My little one does not quite have the fine motor control to paint her own face, but she is happy to let me help her. Face painting is an awesome activity for a rainy or cold day, and if your children are old enough, you can let them do the painting. It doesn't need to look perfect, and is so much more fun for the child when she can exercise their own autonomy. The face paint that we use is actually a waxed-based, soluble pastel (the same kind that are used at the Play Zoo) and can be found at an art supply store. I love it because it's free of many of the skin irritating chemicals found in commercial face paint. It also washes off with a simple wipe of a wet cloth. There is one trick to using it: it has to be wet to apply it to the skin, so keep a damp sponge or cloth nearby to dab the paints as they are used.
Pretend play has so many layers of goodness. If you're interested in more information about the value of pretend play, check out this article from Psychology Today