Pretend play is not just kids having fun. It’s their way of understanding the world by discovering how things work, what they are used for and now to use them.

Your one year old might pick up a block, hold it to their ear and pretend it’s a telephone. They have seen you do it and they want to experience it themselves. At two they will enjoy feeding and washing a doll or hammering and sawing at their workbench. Again, these are things that they have seen you do and need to explore how it all works. Three year olds might drive their cars through a pretend car wash or prepare a meal in their own play kitchen.

This is not just play, it’s actually hard work. As adults we get someone to teach us how to drive and we practice over and over again until we get our drivers license. Children are doing exactly the same thing when they play “Let’s Pretend”.

You can help them to make this hard work easier by providing appropriate toys. Everyday objects are often great for pretend play, but sometimes they can be too big, too heavy or not practical to use as toys. Good quality pretend play kitchens, play food, dolls, car garages, doll houses, pretend work benches and similar toys are designed for small hands to grasp, use and manipulate allowing for unrestricted fun.