25 Easy Pretend Play Ideas - No Time For Flash Cards

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March 17, 2012 | 22 Comments

25 Easy Pretend Play Ideas

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Pretend play is one of the essential preschool activities for children. When I would meet a new student who did not know how to engage in pretend play my heart would sink and immediately Id run through all my ideas in my head to see which would spark their interest and open the door to a world of limitless possibilities. That is what pretend play is, but that isnt why its so important. Kids arent just living in what many adults would call a fantasy world, instead most of their play has deep roots in reality, and it offers them a chance to practice social situations, adult roles and even play out fears and anxiety in a safe place.

See why its so important?

Still starting this journey can be hard for families so below I have some easy to set up scenarios and easy to make props serve as launching pads. Dont make the boundaries too rigid, just use these ideas to set the scene and let your child run with it, you sit back and play along. There is no need for specific goals just play. Trust me they are learning more than we think they are.

Superhero Props & Play Playdough Cupcake BakeryVet ClinicLaundry Basket Sail BoatAirplane VoyagePrincess Wand Pretend Play Elevator Robot CostumeWeather ManPizza Parlor PlayMusic Stand for Kid ConcertsKitchen Camp OutCowboy VestPretend Play Art Gallery Coffee Shop PlayCereal Box LaptopFire Truck Restaurant PlayScience LabBubble Wand LightsabreLibrary PlayKnights ShieldSantas Workshop Be An Elf!Grocery Store Play.Post Office Play.

These are just our favorites. Browse through all our Pretend Play Ideas Here.

What does your child like to pretend to be?

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Toddlers, Educational Activities, Pretend Play, Round Up | 22 Comments

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22 Comments

Miss Brenda says

March 17, 2012 at 9:03 am

Garbage truck was always a huge hit with the boys I nannied. The couch was the truck and pillows/toys/etc were the garbage. Repairman and construction worker were huge hits as well.

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Emily says

March 17, 2012 at 1:45 pm

Love this list thanks! We recently made a time travel machine out of a big printer box. It is a current favourite. My daughter is going to exotic places like China, Hawaii, and Princess Fairy Land.

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Kelley says

March 17, 2012 at 4:03 pm

GREAT post! You always have such creative ideas! I will definitely be trying some of these with my own babes. Thanks

In our house we are generally a family of dogs! My preschooler rarely leaves the house without his tail attached, (literally!) and is always taking us on some kind of exciting doggy adventure!

My favorite is when he gets the kids at the playground involved, though! Have you ever seen a line of kids barking up the slide???

His baby brother (19 months) is into all things AGHH! (dinosaurs, lions, monsters) and spends more time clomping around on his hands and knees AGHH-ing than playing with any of the toys we have. His brother has taught him well!

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GrowingPlay says

March 17, 2012 at 6:58 pm

Great list. Over at our house, my kids are currently into baby nursery ( http://www.growingplay.blogspot.com/2012/03/pretend-play-boxes-newborn-baby.html) and animal hospital.

But my favorite was definitely shops where each child opened up shops for products or services. Foot massages were only $0.10! You can read about it at the blog http://www.growingplay.blogspot.com/2012/01/pretend-shops.html

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Monique Willms says

March 17, 2012 at 7:48 pm

Im so thankful I found your website such great ideas!

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Kate says

March 19, 2012 at 11:56 am

Thanks for this list! Lots of great ideas here, I pinned it on Pinterest, too. Love your blog so much!

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Kelly K says

March 23, 2012 at 9:17 pm

My 19month old daughter goes to work! She grabs her purse(an old purse of mine), her car keys, and kisses me goodbye. She then goes to the front door and hides behind our rocking chair for a few minutes. Then comes home. She kisses me hello and tells me all about her day at work. It is so cute and fun. Daddy does that too everyday, so we play this pretend play at least once a day. She also is a very good doctor and chef. I love that she has a good imagination! I love to play along! Thank you for the list of some more ideas I can share with her as she gets older!

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Dani Romanoski says

March 29, 2012 at 8:16 am

I will definitely send this to my uncle we were just talking about this last week!

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Lizzie says

January 19, 2014 at 3:25 pm

I love those ideas. My daughters current favorite is office. she will set up a fake office in the living room and take calls. she likes to be either and insurance agent or she says a a person who makes people happy. She will literally sit there all day playing on our old laptop and paper and a fake phone. I think it is a good way to learn to be in the real world early. She said when she gets off from the office she might consider playing restaurant, but she said she might have to work late everyday. Thanks again for creative inspiration!

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http://momtv.com/ says

September 13, 2014 at 5:57 pm

My son loves most of these pans and pots and has got a great time playing with them.I was received more than a lot more while

I saw the amount of and how speedily our kid took a noticing to them.

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Sabrina says

July 14, 2016 at 8:21 pm

Which ones out of these will be suitable for 2 year olds?

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Allison McDonald says

July 18, 2016 at 3:44 pm

Most all of these, just keep it simple.

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TrackbacksWeekend Wanderings says:

March 17, 2012 at 7:09 am

[] 4yo is the Queen of pretend play, but I stink at it. ~ 25 Pretend Play Idea []

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Activity Ideas for Summer Learning, Ages 6 10 Imagination Soup | Fun Learning and Play Activities for Kids says:

May 28, 2012 at 9:10 pm

[] Intentional, Thematic Pretend Play Pretend play requires much more than imagination. Children, even in elementary, need to pretend play. It builds cognitive flexibility, increases self-control, improvesvocabulary, strengthens resiliency, and encourages problem solving. (Among other things.) Sometimes all you need to give your kids is an idea, a few props, and some background information about the topic. Here are lots of pretend play ideas on Imagination Soup, great ideas on Childhood 101, and 25 easy ideas from No Time for Flashcards. []

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20 Ways to Have Fun With Kids When Youre Stuck in the House | Natural Parents Network says:

April 20, 2013 at 5:00 am

[] with children 14. Build with blocks. Blocks of Fun! 40 Block Activities for Kids 15. Pretend! 25 Easy Pretend Play Ideas 100 Ways to Keep Little Kids Happy 16. Take pictures. 13 Lessons to Teach Your Child About []

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5 Toddler Pretend Play Ideas and Props | J FOR JACKIE says:

May 2, 2013 at 5:41 am

[] basic abilities and play preferences: birth to age 12 toddler milestone: pretend play 25 easy pretend play ideas []

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For Dads: 25 Ways to Connect with Kids - Kids Activities Blog says:

June 13, 2013 at 4:00 am

[] post is for Dads. We have 25 ways for you to have fun and connect with kids. Kids Activities Blog loves the dads of the world and []

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Open-Ended Pretend Play IdeasThe Outlaw Mom (TM) Blog Tips for Raising Thinking Kids + Creative Living says:

August 5, 2013 at 12:04 am

[] 25 Easy Pretend Play Ideas at No Time for Flashcardsand why not try: Pretend Pet and Pretend Vetfrom Frugal Fun For Boys; a Baby Bath Station from []

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Ways for Dads To Connect With Kids | whatson4ireland says:

September 18, 2013 at 4:42 am

[] post isfor Dads. We have25 waysfor you to have fun andconnect with []

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Rainy Day Pretend & Costumes Southern Rambles says:

February 19, 2014 at 8:38 pm

[] most beautiful people ever. I love seeing my kids growing and learning, its so special. Here are 25 Easy Pretend Play Ideas to get the