Did you know that imaginary play has HUGE benefits for your toddler?
Before we jump into what toys work great for imaginary play, let me just give you a few reasons on why imaginary play is so important for toddlers:
Cognitive: Problem solving skills are sharpened during pretend play as your little one has to look for ways to use their surroundings to support their ideas.
This could mean making a garage for their car out of books and wooden blocks (like these) or covering their baby with a towel because there is no blanket near by.
Language: It teaches them to combine new words into short phrases to convey a message.
They get repeated practice of words in play themes which will allow their speech to become more clear over time.
Vocabulary starts to grow as they expand on different themes they enjoy (click here for more ideas on how to grow vocabulary.)
Motor: Gross motor skills are practiced while your child crawls on the floor while pretending to be a cat or dog.
They build strength in their legs when hopping like a frog.
Social Emotional: Pretend play allows little ones to express themselves in a way that no other type of play does!
They can pretend to be happy, mad, or sad which gives us a perfect opportunity to talk about emotions with them.
Self Help: When your toddler is playing dress up or putting on their baby doll’s clothes they are practicing the skills needed to become independent when getting dressed and undressed.
Read more about the benefits of imaginary play.
Imaginary play is also great because you can do it anywhere…even in the bath.
Check out these bath toys for toddlers that will provide you with lots of imaginary play during bath time!
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Imaginary Play Toys for Toddlers
Toddler Pretend Play Set Pizza Party
Toddlers love to pretend with food.
This pizza party provides your child with lost of opportunities to get creative by making their own pizza.
Fine motor skills get practice as they pick up the smaller pieces to place them on their slice.
New vocabulary is learned by talking about the toppings and supplies needed to make their pizza.
Not a pizza fan? There are lots of other pretend food sets or themes to choose from:
Pretend Play Toddler Barn Set
Simple play sets encourage your child to use their imagination to create their own little world.
Show your child how to feed and wash the animals by pretending.
A barn set introduces animal names and sounds which are easy to imitate with lots of built in repetition through pretend play.
I prefer sets that do not have built in sounds so that you and your little one can make up your own!
Here are some other similar sets that have different themes:
Dress Up Toys for Toddlers
There are TONS of options for playing dress up.
If you look around your house and through your own clothes you probably have lots of things that your little one would love to play dress up with.
Even simple pieces like these cat ears would give your toddler a great start for pretend play (you could even make your own).
After Halloween add that costume to your dress up collection as well.
Here are some more dress up ideas:
Disney Princess Dress Up Trunk
Encourage Toddler Imaginary Play with Puppets
This classic toy is perfect for not only imaginary play but also language development (more strategies on growing language).
If your toddler is not using words yet then show them how to make animal sounds.
These are easier than words to say and also very motivating to imitate because it is fun.
Puppets are great because you can actually start using them when your child is just a baby (if you need ideas on toys for infants click HERE).
As your baby grows in to a toddler they will be able to use them for their own imaginary play scenarios.
Here are a few different varieties of puppet sets:
Farm Animals
Do you have a favorite that did not make the list? Tell me about it in the comments below or find me on Facebook! I would love to hear from you!
Grab your FREE Milestone Guide HERE.
Usually at around age 2 toddlers will start to engage in imaginary play. One example would be a toddler pretending to feed their baby doll.
Pretend play is one of the best types of play because it can actually help encourage development in all areas. Problem solving skills are encouraged as your toddler uses their environment to create play scenes. Language skills develop because of the conversational nature of this type of play.
You can encourage pretend play in your toddler by modeling different play ideas. Providing them with simple toys and objects that allow for open thinking and exploration can be helpful as well.
Related Posts You Will Enjoy
Ultimate Toddler Resource Page
How I Taught My Toddler Spanish and You Can Too
4 Simple Ways to Boost Your Toddler’s Vocabulary
10 Gifts for Toddlers that are Not Toys
5 Fun Bath Toys that Encourage Development
Kayla O’Neill has a master’s degree in education as well as a bachelor’s degree in special education with an emphasis in early childhood education. She has been working as a developmental therapist with babies and toddlers in early intervention since 2012. She is also a mom with two young children.
Simply Mom Bailey
Sunday 1st of October 2017
These are some great ideas! I'm also looking at doing just little wood peg people for my toddler instead of the little people sets.
Kayla ONeill
Sunday 1st of October 2017
I love that! Wooden toys are a great option for your baby and the environment!