This article examines the relationship between some basic operations of the development of a theory of mind, as an interactional tool, and abilities that base the make-believe play. Theory of mind is understood as a conjunct of abilities that equips a child to comprehend, make references, and also consider own and other's mental states, differentiating them and socially operating through this comprehension. Make-believe play is understood, in this study, as a setting of playful action in which a child operates in an imaginary dominion, that it is neither limited to the concrete reality nor equivalent to it. Based in some assumptions, previously approached by many authors, about the relationship between the development of sociocognitive abilities and the acquisition a theory of mind, the observation and analysis of a communicative interaction between a 3.9-year-old child and his mother is discussed. Through some evidences, it is demonstrated that make-believe games constitute a setting that promotes flexibility of thinking and the appearance of some abilities meanly important to the development of a theory of mind.
Make-believe; theory of mind; interaction