ABSTRACT
Human beings inhabit a manmade world of symbolic thought, language, science, religion, money, art, and play. Cassirer (1951) defined man as an “animal symbolicum”; Kaplan (1961) saw symbolic activity as a characteristic feature of human existence; and von Bertalanffy (1968) viewed the evolution of symbolism as basic to anthropogenesis. The participant in symbolic interaction suspends, alters, or distorts current reality to take part in that which is depicted, heard, or read. On this argument, important features of human cognition and culture are linked to symbolism. Notably, one primary way children first enter the world of symbolism is through their pretense play. This chapter is concerned with the earliest emergence, manifestations, and developmental course of symbolic play in childhood and, more centrally, with how young children’s symbolic play is fostered through their social relationships.
