Information for Parents

Children from ages 3-5 years
At this age, children have the idea of how to pretend but need ideas of what to pretend:

Use everyday chores and situations to set up play ideas. Use errands as an opportunity for playing. Point out people and talk about what they say and do. These people will become the “roles” the child plays. Everything the child sees becomes fodder for rich play when you get home.

Help your child turn everyday experiences into play by providing props. Don’t have a doctor’s uniform—use an old grown-up shirt and put something on it that signifies the doctor. Don’t have a stethoscope? Make one out of a piece of string and a circle attached to it. Remember that props don’t need to be an exact replica—creating something symbolic takes more thought.
You take on a role, too—a secondary role. You want your child to direct the entire play scene as much as possible. You do what she says. You want her to tell you what to do and what will come next. If the child is unclear about what the main person does, you give suggestions, but try hard not to take over. For example, your son would be the doctor and you would be the patient or the dad with the sick baby First your baby is sick with a fever. Then you pretend that he has broken his arm. You take on a secondary role that changes the scenario, such as prompting a house call. Encourage your child to tell you what to do—“What’s going to happen next?” When your child directs the play, you are promoting planning skills that are a part of self-regulation.

Help your child expand the roles and add to the script. “Now, what could happen next? Can we pretend that we had to go to the hospital in an ambulance? What else could happen?” Add onto the ideas you have already played out.

Read a story together and let that be the basis of play. Use a story that your child likes and has heard many times and act that out.

After playing a role and a scene several times, suggest a new twist. What if you were the doctor on a pirate ship? In outer space? Have the same role happen in a different place.

By 4 years of age, children should begin to be able to play with fewer props, not needing the elaborate dressing up that they need earlier. They can make up their own props. You can play anywhere—in the car, in the supermarket, at home.

Have other children over who can join in the play (see the article on playgroups).

Introduce simple games with rules. Board games like "Chutes and Ladders" or "Candyland" are great--these are an extension of make-believe play.