Pretending is an important type of play for young children. Often, they use pretend play to test out specific skills, behaviors, and actions they’ve observed in others. Pretend play probably started simply, with your child holding a phone to his ear to “talk” to someone, or putting a shirt on his head, pretending it’s a hat.

Now that your child is three to four years old, his pretend play scenarios can become a lot more complex and rich in narrative. One of the scenarios you may see your child play out over and over again is that of being “mom” or “dad.” You may see him rock his dolls to sleep or make believe that he’s feeding them. You may even hear him repeat some of the things you say! Be sure to encourage this type of play–it’s helping your child develop his vocabulary, problem-solving ability, and various social emotional skills.

Play Tips:

How can you support your child’s development of this Dramatic Play skill at this age? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Reverse your roles. Get your child to think outside of the box by reversing roles when you play together! If he is used to always being the daddy, encourage him to explore what it’s like to be a mommy and see where this takes him. Does he end up portraying differences or similarities in these household roles?
2. Keep a prop or costume box handy. To spark your child’s imagination and nurture his make-believe play, create a prop box or two. You could have one box just for costumes and wigs, one box for play food and cooking utensils, one with his dolls and stuffed animals, and so on. While you may choose to have all the boxes always available, consider rotating them on a weekly basis to help spark your child’s interest by keeping his play materials novel and fresh!
3. Look for inspiration in books. If you need inspiration for your child’s pretend play, visit your local library to pick out some new books. From fantasy tales to everyday stories about our communities and families, books are rich with ideas for pretend play. Explore some books about different animals, real-life occupations, or life in other cultures.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Dramatic Play developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Imitates adults.
• Increasingly creative with pretend play.
• Plays “mom” and “dad” during pretend play.
• Cannot distinguish  between real and make-believe.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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