Let's Pretend: How Do You Teach Your Toddler to Pretend?by Heather Long | More from this Blogger 08 Sep 2006 06:06 AM This may sound like an odd topic, but the truth is pretending play is one of the best parts of childhood and children have fertile and amazing imaginations. Many believe that children spontaneously develop their imaginations and while this may be true for many, the truth is-you can help them to build this skill and talent. How do you help them? Here are a few ways that I have seen other parents as well as myself do in order to help them develop their talent for pretend. Obstacle Course Toddlers love to climb. They love to explore. So take a bunch of pillows and blankets and set up an obstacle course so they can climb over and under. If you have something you can make a tunnel or tent out of, this is good too. When we did this, my daughter started crawling in there and hoarding her toys for a while. She really enjoyed that one. Dress Up They are never to young to play dress up whether it's your sunglasses, an old hat or even an oversized shirt - toddlers enjoy playing with clothes whether it's taking them off or putting them on. It's really funny how all you have to do is dress them up once and point them at a mirror and zoom, they're off and running. Hang onto those old clothes, shoes and jewelry and watch your little one go to town. Oh, and a piece of advice? This is a good time to keep that camera handy. Playful Household Toys Pick up some cheap plastic plates, cups and other so they can set up their own play table and meal table. These may or may not be useful right at first. My daughter used them more like boats for her little figures and dolls than she did as play eating, but as she got to 2 ½ she was playing with tea sets and meal sets and serving all of her stuffed animals. Related Articles: Little People in the Big Apple: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Learn more about Heather Long  Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago. Relevantbaby tags User Comments  Jaime Egan (2178) 08 Sep 2006 02:14 PMMy daughter really takes her cues from us. She has a play cell phone and she will pick it up and say, "Hello? Yes? Okay, bye-bye!"  Heather Long (16954) 08 Sep 2006 03:11 PMLOL -- forever, my daughter would pick up the play phone and say "What!?" Community Tags climbing, creative play, lets pretend, pretend play, toddler Discuss this article
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