Developmental origins of the fantasy-reality distinction

Developmental origins of the fantasy-reality distinction
Blog 4: How do children distinguish between fantasy and reality
Sometimes it is assumed that children cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality. Fantasy entails the “activity of imagining impossible or improbable things” while the reality is “the state of things as they actually exist” (Shtulman & Carey, 2007). In some cases, these assumptions are true. Adults should understand that children have more ability to distinguish fantasy is from reality than it was traditionally thought. Traditionally, children were thought to have not developed enough to realize that there is a difference between what is mental and what is physical, appearance and reality, and dreams and reality. The traditional beliefs that are not based on research have affected what children are taught in early stages either through formal education, media, and the environment.
Currently, many research programs such as Sharon and Woolley (2004) have confirmed that children are able to distinguish between fantasy and reality as early as age 3. At age three, a child can differentiate between a toy car and the actual car. Since the body of research has already confirmed that a child can distinguish between fantasy and reality from such tender ages, the most crucial aspect is to understand how this happens.
A car and toy cars: reality/fantasy (MrBeast, 2018)
First, the necessary knowledge must be present. The child must have a clue about things that real entities such as a toy can do and things that they cannot do. A child does not expect to fit in the toy but can fit in the car, and such knowledge is important for differentiating between fantasy and reality in the events that follow. However, characteristics of the child such as age and personality trait (inborn) that is oriented towards fantasy. Also, there are the characteristics of the event or entity. A child is more likely to distinguish between fantasy and reality when dealing with products of culture than new products. The feature of the environment, such as the teacher and the parent who is introducing the entity or the event, is also very important for a child.

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