There are simple things that parents or caregivers can do to encourage a toddler's developing pretend play abilities.
Toddlers are just beginning to learn to include make believe in their play. As a parent or care giver, there are many things you can do to encourage your toddler to develop their imagination and participate in constructive play time activities.
Creating a quality play environment for your toddler is the most important thing you can do to encourage imaginative play. Including toys such as play food, toy kitchens, toy phones, dolls, and cars can provide a starting point for your toddler to develop their imaginative play skills.
Household items such as pots and pans, boxes, empty food containers and other materials can be just as effective in helping your toddler to participate in meaningful play activities. Since toddlers are just beginning to develop the skills needed to make believe, a parent or caregiver’s participation is important. Encourage your toddler by showing them different ways that they can use the materials around them in their pretend play.
Toddlers enjoy using materials that they see the adults around them using on a daily basis. Things that adults may consider boring or mundane are exciting and new to toddlers who respect them. Nearly every activity that an adult participates in can be modified somewhat to allow a toddler to participate or copy the behavior.
Toddlers and young preschoolers learn by mimicking the behaviors that they see around them. It is not uncommon to see a young toddler having a heated conversation on a cell phone or putting their dolls in time out. This behavior is an important teaching tool because it can be used to show toddlers how to correctly handle the various situations that they see around them.
Dolls help toddlers to learn to feel empathy for other people and children. Teaching a toddler that we treat babies nicely and showing them how to gently hold a baby doll so they will be comfortable will help them to develop the skills of thinking beyond themselves and considering the feelings of others.
Enrich everyday activities by encouraging your toddler to use their imagination. Playing in the sandbox could turn into hunting for treasure simply by burying a few toys. A trip to the grocery store could be made more exciting by encouraging your toddler to pretend to be the mommy or daddy and help find the things their family needs. A daily bath could become an undersea adventure. Let your toddler see that you are using your own imagination and considering all of the many meanings that your play can take on.
