Over the years the characters and costumes may have gotten more complex but one thing remains – kids love superhero play!

It’s almost impossible to keep kids away from the premise of superheroes. They’re on our screens, big and small; they’re on kids’ clothes; they’re even on their lunch boxes. DVDs, movies, games, and TV programmes bring these superheroes into our world and kids love to emulate their favourites.

While it can be a touch unnerving to have your six year old running around the house in a robe trying to use “the force” on anything that moves, there are important learning benefits for this type of play.

Rather than stifling this type of play, engage with your child, understand their interest, and use it as a platform for teaching them about right and wrong, good and evil, real and make-believe.

The benefits of superhero play

When kids dress up as superheroes, or play with figurines or props, they can benefit from these learning outcomes.

• Storytelling to encourage vocabulary and learning about the world around them
• Problem-solving
• Extending their imagination
• Risk assessment, ie “how can I jump off the couch safely?”
• Teamwork – every superhero needs a sidekick!
• Dramatic play lends itself to empowerment and confidence building
• Empathy – the basis of a superhero is that they protect and help others

For more, visit myece.org.nz.

Which superhero does your child like to pretend to be?

See more:

• DIY superhero cape
• Make a superhero cake
• Superhero symbol activity

Written by Julie Scanlon

Julie is Editor for Kidspot NZ and our MVP. Her hobbies include laughing uncontrollably at her own jokes, annoying her family by asking questions about movie plots, and never taking anything too seriously. She speaks a little Spanish and a lot of Yorkshire. 

Favourite motto to live by: “It ain’t nothing but a thing”