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The structure of four- and five-year-olds' narratives in pretend play and storytelling

In order to examine under what circumstances preschool children invent plotted narratives this study looked at the effects on narrative structures of pretend play and storytelling settings. The inclusion of a conflict or problem was also studied. Forty middle-class American children (nineteen 4-year-olds and twenty-one 5-year-olds) played with replica toys and made up stories based on drawings of characters. It was observed that 66% of plotted narratives occurred in storytelling and that 5-year-olds were more likely to produce them (33%, compared to 5% of 4-year-olds). While age was not associated with including a conflict or problem, plotted narratives were most likely to have these. Analyses suggest that 4- and 5-year-olds both understand the demands of telling a story, but that 5-year-olds have a usable mental model of a story.