Although pretend play has long been part of the early childhood curriculum, recent emphasis on accountability in education seems to have led to a decline in the general understanding of the contribution that high-quality play can make to children's cognitive development in the early years. This digest defines the cluster of concepts related to pretend play and cognition, briefly synthesizes the latest research on the role of pretend play in children's social and linguistic competence, and discusses challenges and policy directions suggested by these research findings. (Contains 12 references.) (KB)