Imaginative Play

Imaginative Play
What is imaginative or pretend play?

Imaginative play or pretend play or symbolic play is play that goes beyond using an
object or toy as it was intended. It involves using ideas that come from the
imagination rather than from the object itself. For example, pretending a toy block is
a phone and using it to call someone.
Role play involves children acting out different experiences that may be a feature of
their everyday lives, for example, playing shop.
Why is this important?
Pretend play can expand a child’s thinking skills, as it involves play ideas that come
from a child’s imagination rather than from their environment. It is linked to language
and other kinds of thought processes and hence it is an important part of a child’s
cognitive development.
Developing pretend play skills can help children to expand their knowledge about the
social world around them. It allows children to join in games with their peers and
expand their social learning. Acting out different roles will promote the development
of language and communication skills, the ability to adapt and develop various roles.
How can I help my child with imaginative and role play?
- Pick a theme for pretend play with your child.
- Add some props and toys (to act as extra characters).
- Wait for your child to begin to pretend to act out a scene (you can encourage
and help them to begin).
- You can add actions that follow your child’s actions in real life.
- Narrate as you go.
- Have fun!
The following steps can help increase your child’s symbolic and pretend play. (The
skills in each step can take some time to develop)
1. Teach conventional, or functional play skills, such as how to use a toy phone. This
step will involve
a. introducing the object,
b. modelling how to use it,
c. encouraging your child to imitate you and
d. then expanding it to include other characters
(e.g. Teddy) and people (e.g. a sibling or
other family member)
e. Allow the child to repeat the play lots of times.
2. Teach your child how to play with dolls or stuffed

animals. This will help them understand that dolls can
represent people and their actions. This step may
Brothers of Charity: South Lee ASD Services; Information Sheet –Imaginative Play; October 2017
Imaginative Play
a. involve doing some functional play/skills (e.g. combing your hair) and
b. expanding this to include the doll (e.g. combing dolly’s hair). A variety of
toys and actions can be used. This step will likely involve your child
imitating your actions.
3. Encourage your child to move from imitation to spontaneous play. From the previous
steps your child should be able to imitate play with inanimate toys.
a. Set up some materials that your child can already play with functionally.
b. Instead of modelling an action for them to imitate, look expectantly at your
child to see what they will do first.
c. When they do something, comment on what they did (e.g. Teddy is eating)
and imitate their play using a related action (e.g. feeding another teddy).
d. By joining in with enthusiasm and fun, you will encourage your child to
engage in more spontaneous play in the future.
4. Teach your child to create pretend objects in play (i.e. to treat objects as if they were
something else). This step is similar to the previous steps, however, rather than
providing your child with functional play objects provide them with some objects
which could easily represent something else (e.g. an ice pop stick as a fork or knife).
Play as normal, however the object can then be used as something else. It is
important to name what this new object is, so that your child
understands that it is representing an actual object. You
can also copy your child. The same can be repeated using
“invisible” objects.
Some suggestions of themes for Role Play
 Mealtimes: Set table, pour juice, put food on plate, eat,
drink, wipe face, clean up
 Going on an outing: go to school, a party,
Grandparents house, zoo
 Play out stories: Act out scenes from their favourite
books and films
 Going to the doctors / dentist: Go in the door, sign in, sit in
waiting room, go into exam room, doctor listen to your chest, look
in ears/mouth, check reflexes
 Repetition: Again, allow the child to repeat the play lots of times.
During play try to:

- Be face to face with your child;
- Observe your child, follow their lead;
- Avoid putting out too many toys at once;
- Imitate your child’s actions;
- Keep it simple, don’t just watch from the side lines – get ‘into’ the play;
- Take turns;
- Introduce new ideas / expose your child to new experiences / have fun!!
Brothers of Charity: South Lee ASD Services; Information Sheet –Imaginative Play; October 2017

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What is imaginative or pretend play?

2. Teach your child how to play with dolls or stuffed

During play try to:

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