Comments on: Stuck on pretend play

By: 9 ways to encourage imaginative play | Play-Activities.com

9 ways to encourage imaginative play | Play-Activities.com — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:57:50 +0000

[...] while back, I answered a letter about encouraging imaginative play in a reluctant player. The focus then was about interacting, initiating and encouraging play by being present and very [...]

By: annie

annie — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:45:04 +0000

QUIT worrying that you child is not doing what another child is doing! Just SPEND time talking with your child and DOING things with your child and he will be wonderful!!

By: Follow up to letter from reader: Still stuck on pretend play | Play-Activities.com

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 04:29:27 +0000

[...] Part I Stuck on pretend play, I received a letter from Melody that I continue with the answer [...]

By: Work at Home Moms and Dads Carnival - Edition #5

Work at Home Moms and Dads Carnival - Edition #5 — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:19:29 +0000

[...] presents Stuck on pretend play posted at Play-Activities.com, saying, “Boys enjoy pretend play they just play differently. [...]

By: Dana

Dana — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:50:13 +0000

My son was never really into role playing games…except that if we made him a costume to go with whatever he was driving, he loved that. His firehat and construction hat and engineer’s hat…those are the things he wants to play with.

And his sister’s nail polish. But that is another story entirely.

By: Melitsa

Melitsa — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:41:06 +0000

Good suggestions. The ideas are simple and realistic. Fancy a carwash with my little ones today.
Thanks for commenting

By: ianrey

ianrey — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:15:08 +0000

I thought my son was not into pretend play; he only likes sports. But I realized, when a 4-year-old plays sports, it’s “I’m the Rockies, you’re the Cardibals, your player just hurt his knee and you need another player.” Which is just the same as playing with Barbies, if you threw the Barbies at each other and hit them with sticks. When your son is pushing his car around, get another car, get down on the floor with him, and have the cars interact with each other. Have him tell you where the car is going, when it needs gasoline, make a story about the people in the car. Take him to the bathtub and have a carwash. Go under the dining room table and call it a mechanic, let him change the tires and the oil. Roll with his interests and encourage him to expand; his creative brain will come up with so many fun variations.

By: Queen of Carrots

Queen of Carrots — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:30:36 +0000

My 2yo ds is always tagging after his 3yo sister with imaginative play–one of the best things to stimulate imagination is playing with other kids who are imaginative, but it does take time.

Driving cars can be just as imaginative as playing dress-up. Help him make a garage out of a box, or a mountain out of a blanket. Make a train out of chairs and have the stuffed animals get on board. Make a box or a basket into a boat and sail away. Build a cave behind the couch or under the dining room table. Be explorers. Cook pretend meals with the contents of the pantry.

Reading books where children play imaginatively can give ideas, too.

The best props for my kids’ imaginative play are blankets and boxes. They will play for hours with little else! The blankets can be forts or mountains or ponds or royal robes. The boxes can be boats or tables or, if they’re big enough, houses.