Pretend play activity ideas for 1.5 - 2 year olds

This is from a handout from the Occupational Therapy Department at the WA State Child Development Centre.  I found it useful to get some ideas, as Talia was fairly slow to show any interest in pretend play.  She has never copied housework, for example - but then again I don’t spend a lot of my day sweeping the floor either!  However she does enjoy playing “farms” or with a trainset.

—

One and a half to two year olds are able to play and explore in more complex ways and enjoy a range of toys that can be used in early pretend/imaginative play.
They are also very active and enjoy practicing new skills over and over again.

They are developing a sense of independence and like to feel in control. Although their ability for self-control is beginning to develop, they cannot stop themselves from doing things that are unacceptable even after reminders. This often leads to frustrations and tantrums.

Pretend Play
Pretend play can be done indoors or outdoors. Children begin to do simple single actions in imitation that they see adults doing from about 12-15 months old. They like to do activities repeatedly - practising and learning through watching and imitating you. They are very curious about everything around them and enjoy playing with everyday objects, though they have not yet developed a sense of safety - so need supervision (eg. pushing, pulling, carrying objects, hammering, tearing, etc). Mouthing of objects has usually reduced by 18 months. Their attention span is still fleeting.

You can begin by showing your child how to pretend. For example kiss and cuddle a teddy bear, feed a doll, talk on a pretend phone, push a car and make car noises, play with toy animals and make animal sounds, pretend to read a book to a doll, pretend to drive a car, put dolly in a high chair or pram, play inside a large box (as a car or cubby), have a tea party, play with toys in sand, water and with playdough as props.

At around 18 months pretend play themes relate mainly to the child’s everyday experiences, such as sleeping, feeding, bathing, combing a doll. Their play then progresses to familiar everyday household routines such as cooking, cleaning, reading, etc.

At around 2 years old, pretend play has progressed to activities the child is familiar with outside home, such as shopping, riding on a bus or train, after going on an outing they have experienced in real life.

Remember to follow your child’s lead and join in with play that interests them, saying what is happening in the play, adding in a new play action that they might imitate, and making up a simple story as you play (such as “dolly falls over, and a kiss makes it better”). Have fun playing together and follow their lead - be part of their game.

At this age children play in parallel - that is they play alongside others in similar play activities, but do not yet play together co-operatively. If they do not want you to be part of their play yet, just play close by - letting them decide what and how to play, rather than pushing your ideas for play onto them.