Children's Understanding of Fantasy and Reality:

Developmental Stages:

1. Around Age Two:
2. Engage in pretend play and believe in fictional characters.
3. May have imaginary friends.

4. Have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality.

5. Between Ages Three and Ten:

6. Increasingly differentiate between fantasy and reality.

7. Understand that TV shows and movies that violate physical reality are not real.

8. Between Ages Five and Eight:

9. Interest in pretend play decreases.

10. Less likely to believe in fantasy characters.

11. Between Ages Eight and Twelve:

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

Cues Children Use to Distinguish Fantasy from Reality:

1. Evaluating Context:
2. Consider the information's context.

3. Might be more skeptical of unfamiliar sources.

4. Existing Knowledge:

5. Draw upon existing knowledge to assess new information.

6. More likely to accept information that aligns with what they already know.

7. Evaluating Speakers:

8. Tend to trust experts more than non-experts.

Supporting Children's Understanding of Fantasy and Reality:

1. Storytelling and Reading:
2. Engage in discussions about fantasy and reality.

3. Answer questions and clarify misunderstandings.

4. Watching TV and Movies:

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

6. Interacting with Online Content:

7. Guide children in evaluating online content's reliability.

8. Media Literacy Programs:

9. 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.