On London: Light Blue Onesie Tutu: Tutu Du Monde | Light Blue & White Feather Headpiece: Steampunk Wolf Shop
Gray Dress: Tutu Du Monde | Silver Teardrop Headband: Lillian and Lace
Lavender Outfit: Tutu Du Monde | Feather Headpiece: Lillian and Lace | Bracelet: Tiny Blessings
All outfits from Rainey’s Closet: Your favorite spot for special occasion rentals and coordinating accessories for children that will bring all of your visions to life.
The older London gets, the more I notice her hiding out in random corners of the house, either rearranging her clothes, “tidying-up” or just playing with her toys and talking to herself. Imaginative play, also known as creative or dramatic play is important for children because it helps explain why things in the world happen. Research states that it is one of the most important types of play because it is relaxing and self-soothing for children. The benefits of creative play and make-believe with your child have proven to be endless and so I have listed some ways to encourage imaginative play with your child.
1. PLAY ALONG with your child and become a part of their fantasy world. No one cares if you look silly and ridiculous; your child just wants to dance and play with you. One of London’s favorite things is to go through my closet and play with whatever she can get her hands on from my heels, to my hats, scarves and purses. I can’t help but throw a silly hat on and join in on the fun. London thinks it’s hilarious and I couldn’t care less that she is playing with my fancy things. I love letting her play around and get into character.
2. GET CREATIVE with items you already have lying around. Items such as costumes, little gloves and masks, old books, pots and pans, and items from thrift stores are perfect for creative play. We have a small bench upstairs that London loves to stand and play on while she sings and dances along to all of her favorite songs. It is almost like a little stage at our house. It is the best bonding time when I join in and I love being able to witness her becoming her own little person.
3. ASK your child open-ended questions while you play. This encourages them to come up with stories of their own. London is really good at this even though we can’t understand what she is saying half the time. We just respond the way we typically would and end up having a full blown conversation with our little toddler.
4. KEEP IT SIMPLE. You don’t need to introduce too many new or complicated ideas at one time. Sometimes I pick up London’s teapot and act like I am pouring myself a cup of tea. She loves to join in, grab a cup of her own and say, “Yum!” We love having tea parties and it’s even better when daddy takes a seat and has a sip too!
5. HAVE FUN! When you play like a child and let your imagination lead, you and your child will never run out of things to do or talk about. Everything from playing house, cooking and cleaning to shopping for groceries with play money and shopping for new outfits that you will wear out that week- the possibilities are endless.
Have you played make-believe lately? I would love to hear the way you mamas encourage pretend play with your little lambs. Feel free to leave us a comment below!
10 Comments
Love this post, make me miss when my daughters were young! Great points here and just simply spending time is what matters.
Great article! I feel like I’m not very good in the imaginative play area, lol. But between 3 girls we do have a lot of cool toys and dress up stuff for them to experiment with.
I’m thinking my mom did this with me when I was little, though I can’t really remember :). Good tips.
I can totally relate. My son just loves role play but playing with him, I get bored in five minutes. (To put it positively, he has some strong leadership qualites.) But still imaginative play helps me understand what is going on in his mind.
This totally reminds me when my daughters were growing. All great tips! 🙂
Oh my gosh! Too adorable! I think it’s super important to ask your child questions and let them come up with things; it’s crazy some of the ideas that they can come up with. Love the tips!
I love to play make believe with the kids! So much fun and I love how innocent children are at play time. Great article !
I love playing with my kids, and seeing how it helps them be more social when we’re out and about. Making time to play with my kids is always a priority 🙂
She’s really cute! Thanks for sharing your tips. Might come in handy for many.
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