CHILDREN love to mimic the lives of adults and role-play their favourite jobs from film and TV, and new research has revealed what children want to be when they grow up with the big impact this has on their playtime.

A survey of 1,000 children aged 5-7 from dolls’ pram expert Play Like Mum, has revealed how much children are influenced by their senior role models, as nearly half (43%) like to pretend to have a grown up’s job in their playtime.

Counting down the days until they reach adulthood themselves, 41% say they are excited to grow up and start a new job, with only 11% admitting to feeling worried about the prospect.

The power of the influencer is still very much alive, as becoming a YouTube star was the most popular career choice amongst 5-7 year olds – which is unsurprising given social media is so influential amongst the younger generation.

Parents will be delighted to find out their children are keen to care and look after others, as being a doctor was next to appear on the list, followed by a professional footballer – which saw 18% of boys dreaming of being the next Marcus Rashford.

More than 1 in 10 children surveyed have revealed they want to become a vet when they grow up, which was identified as the most popular job for young girls (17%), while many dream of protecting their local community from crime, as a policeman / woman completed the top five.

Research also revealed the important influence that parents and grandparents have on their children and grandkids, as 19% aspire to be like their mum and dad when they grow up, while 4% look up to their grandparents and want to take on their role.

Andrew Coplestone, founder of the specialist dolls pram maker Play Like Mum, comments: “Role models do an incredible job to help inspire younger generations and teach them important skills and life lessons. Many children will act out and play like their role models when they are pushing our prams as the pram play helps to build their imagination skills, whether that be by looking up to their parents or grandparents to imitate, or by being inspired by their role models, including class teachers, professional football players, or even their favourite YouTube star.

“Role-play is a fantastic way for children to act out their favourite jobs, helping to enhance their social, communication and imagination skills through the magic of playtime. One day they will have to choose a career path for themselves, so it’s wonderful they can enjoy and experience this in their own way when they’re younger. That’s why our ethos at Play Like Mum is centred around creating imaginative ways for children to play as this is such an essential part of every child’s development.”

Laura Amies, Child Behavioural Expert, comments: “Children learn so much from their environment, from all they see, hear and experience. They are constantly growing and changing which means they naturally aspire to be like their older siblings, parents and especially their favourite TV personalities!

“Mimicking the behaviours displayed by others is a very natural part of a child’s development. If we consider that children will use the same language, actions and attitudes of those who they observe, it’s important to provide them with positive role models.

“Whilst the use of social media and YouTube seems to be increasing, we can balance this out by offering children more opportunities to partake in play. When we offer a child a toy such as a pram, we are promoting the use of their communication skills and increasing their knowledge and understanding of the real aspects of the world around them. They also have the chance to be compassionate and nurturing, which is a characteristic that we would all hope to find in those around us.”

Top 10 jobs kids want to do when they grow up:

YouTube star
Doctor
Footballer
Vet
Policeman / woman
Teacher
Performer
Fireman / woman
Hairdresser
Builder