What type of play often involves role-playing and use of imagination?

Symbolic play is a critical stage in child development that typically emerges between the ages of 2 and 7. This type of play involves children using their imagination to create scenarios, pretend to be someone else, and use objects to represent other things. For instance, a child might use a block as a phone or pretend to be a doctor using a toy stethoscope. This type of imaginative role-playing helps to develop cognitive skills, social abilities, and emotional understanding as children explore different perspectives and situations.

In contrast, constructive play focuses on building and creating things, often with physical materials, while physical play involves active movement and physical skills. Cooperative play emphasizes teamwork and interaction with others during play but does not necessarily involve imagination or role-playing as prominently as symbolic play does. Each type of play serves important functions in development, but symbolic play is particularly noted for its imaginative aspects.