The Development of Pretend Play Skills

Your Toddler and the World of Pretend Play

Play is essential to your child's learning, development, confidence and wellbeing.

Your toddler will learn so much through play. Not only will they learn about language and how to move their bodies, they'll learn about the world around them and how to interact with others too.

There is a lot of information out there about play skills - a lot of it excellent, a lot of it overwhelming (and quite frankly, stressful - who has time for elaborate play set ups!!). As a Speech Pathologist, I look at fostering a child's pretend play skills. Pretend play skills are so important for the development of language skills, so read on to find out more!

What is Pretend Play?

Pretend play (also known as 'symbolic play') is when a child pretends that an object or action is something else, such as a doll being a baby, or a toy is a telephone. 

Pretend play and language development are so linked because both involve the use of symbols. In pretend play, your child may use a spoon as a 'symbol' for a brush. In language, words are symbols to express our thoughts and ideas. It therefore makes sense that pretend play starts to emerge around the same time that first words begin (between 12-18 months). 

Development of Pretend Play

Pretend play progresses through predictable stages. Here's what to expect from your toddler when it comes to pretend play:

• 12-18 months: Self Pretend play
  Your toddler will carry out one pretend action at a time on themselves (e.g. pretending to eat or sleep). They will tend to use toys that look quite realistic (e.g. a plastic toy spoon or a real spoon). 
• 18-24 months: Simple Pretend play
  Your toddler will carry out simple pretend actions on toys or people, using realistic looking toys. For example, they might giving a dolly a drink from a cup or making a car 'drive'. You might also notice your toddler start to imitate familiar actions they've seen adults model, such as pretending to talk on a toy phone. 
• 24-30 months: Series of familiar actions
  Your toddler will start to act out a series of pretend actions relating to a familiar routine (e.g. going to bed). For example, you may see them put a dolly in bed, put a blanket on them and sing them a song. At this stage, they might start to use less realistic objects, but still similar in shape to the real object (e.g. using a toy banana as a phone). It is around this stage as well that you'll also see your child join words together (just like they're joining actions together in pretend play!). 
• 30-36 months: Series of less familiar actions
  Your toddler will start to engage in less familiar themes and routines in their play. This is when they're imagination is starting to evolve! For example they might pretend to be going to daycare or to the doctor. They'll start to pretend without an object (e.g. using their hand as a cup) or using an object that doesn't resemble the real thing (e.g. using a block as a phone).
• 3-5 years: Role play with other children
  Your child's imagination has really exploded now and they act out imaginary themes in play (e.g. things that don't really exist or that your child hasn't experienced yet in real life). For example, they may pretend to be a fairy, superhero or dinosaur. Children will also start to pretend with other children at this stage, each taking on different roles in the play (e.g. 'You be the mummy and I'll be the baby'). Language often drives the play at this stage. Children explain their roles and use language to act out their role. This is where play really gets interesting and it is fascinating watching your child get lost in the world of imaginative play.
  As I write this, my 4 year old is well into this stage and loves to dictate to me (I use that word on purpose 😂) what role I have in our play together and what I need to do. 

Time to enjoy the wonders of pretend play!

It's so fun when your toddler reaches this stage of play. If you're a parent who has found playtime with your baby a bit....well....boring and monotonous, don't worry, play is about to get a lot more exciting!

If you'd like to learn more about pretend play and HOW to support the development of these skills, come join the Walky Talky Toddler membership. 

We have a whole page on Pretend Play with tips for supporting these skills, plus a library of pretend play ideas to set up and spark your toddler's imagination. 

If you're based in Perth, Australia and want a wonderful place to take your young child to inspire their pretend play, we highly recommend Little Land! 

Little Land offers a scaled down version of the real world - inspiring your child to learn through pretend play. Little Land's play stalls such as a market, café, cosy home setting, doctors' surgery, construction site, school and emergency services area. All play stalls come complete with a wide range of play props and dress ups to get your child's imagination thinking big!

Head to https://littleland.fun/ for more details.