Evaluation of a training program based on pretend play designed to promote the development of socioemotional skills in five-year-old children: An exploratory study

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of a training program based on pretend play designed to promote the development of socioemotional skills. Nineteen children aged five years were evaluated using a pre-test, training (experimental group vs control group), and post-test paradigm. The experimental group received an eleven-week, one-hour weekly program during class hours that focused on socioemotional skills—such as understanding emotions, regulating negative emotions, and prosocial behavior—, while the control group received no specific intervention. The level of socioemotional skills was assessed in the pre-test and post-test using eight measures. The results show a partial improvement in the ability to understand emotions and to regulate negative emotions among the children who benefited from the training program. However, no significant progress was observed in the tasks measuring prosocial behavior for the experimental group. These results suggest that training based on pretend play promotes the development of some aspects of emotional skills, rather than prosocial behavior.