Children's Understanding of Fantasy and Reality:

Developmental Stages:

1. Around Age Two:

   • Engage in pretend play and believe in fictional characters.
   • May have imaginary friends.
   • Have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality.

2. Between Ages Three and Ten:

   • Increasingly differentiate between fantasy and reality.
   • Understand that TV shows and movies that violate physical reality are not real.

3. Between Ages Five and Eight:

   • Interest in pretend play decreases.
   • Less likely to believe in fantasy characters.

4. Between Ages Eight and Twelve:

   • Focused on realism.
   • Seek to comprehend the real world through toys, games, and entertainment.
   • May become skeptical of unrealistic TV shows and fictional portrayals.

Cues Children Use to Distinguish Fantasy from Reality:

1. Evaluating Context:

   • Consider the information's context.
   • Might be more skeptical of unfamiliar sources.

2. Existing Knowledge:

   • Draw upon existing knowledge to assess new information.
   • More likely to accept information that aligns with what they already know.

3. Evaluating Speakers:

   • Tend to trust experts more than non-experts.

Supporting Children's Understanding of Fantasy and Reality:

1. Storytelling and Reading:

   • Engage in discussions about fantasy and reality.
   • Answer questions and clarify misunderstandings.

2. Watching TV and Movies:

   • Point out unrealistic elements and discuss why they are fictional.

3. Interacting with Online Content:

   • Guide children in evaluating online content's reliability.

4. Media Literacy Programs:

   • Teach children how to discern fantasy from reality.

Conclusion: As children grow, their ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality closely resembles that of adults.