Children's different forms of starting pretend play and their relation with ways of using mental terms were investigated in 14 triads (M: 5.2 years). Each triad played for 10 minutes in a preschool room and their verbalizations were transcribed and coded according to categories of mental terms and forms of starting pretend play. "Planned" and "understanding pretend in the other" were children's most utilized forms of starting pretense. They related in a decreasing way, and differently for boys and girls, to the categories of mental terms "expression of desire", "guiding interaction", "modulation of assertion", and "expression of mental state". The correspondence between the underlying representation existing in the use of mental terms and in pretense is taken into account when discussing results.
child development; child psychology; thinking; child; preschoall
