WHATS REAL IN CHILDRENS FANTASY PLAY - FANTASY PLAY ACROSS THE TRANSITION TO BECOMING A SIBLING

This study examined children's fantasy enactments during the critical life transition of becoming a sibling to determine the degree to which the thematic content of fantasy play reflects children's realistic co ncerns. Thirty 3-5-year-old children played with their best friend at two pre- and three post-birth intervals. Mothers kept diary records of children's concerns, worries, and events they were excited about duri ng 3-day periods surrounding the five play sessions. Raters then evalu ated the degree to which the thematic content of the fantasy play was consistent with their concerns as reported by mothers. Overall, little convergence was apparent between the themes of fantasy play and child ren's perceived concerns. However, a modest relationship was found bet ween acting out positive concerns in play and sibling relationship qua lity. Although these results lend limited support for the notion that children's concerns are reflected in the content of their spontaneous play, they do suggest that 'playing it out' is beneficial for children .