How to Encourage Pretend Play in Toddlers | Jaques of London

A child holds a wooden bear to her ear and mutters, quite seriously, that it is late for the doctor. There is no doctor, no telephone, and the bear cannot speak. Yet the whole scene is completely real to her.

This is pretend play, and watching it begin is one of the quiet pleasures of raising a toddler. It arrives gradually, then suddenly, and it shapes a great deal of how a young child comes to understand the world.

Good props help, and the material matters. The toys we make at Jaques are built from FSC-certified timber and tested to UKCA and CE standards, because a spoon that becomes a wand or a bear that becomes a patient needs to survive a great deal of handling. If you are gathering ideas, our educational toys for toddlers are a sensible place to begin.

What Is Pretend Play and When Does It Start in Toddlers?

Pretend play is the moment a child uses one thing to stand for another, or acts out a role that is not their own. A banana becomes a phone. A cushion becomes a boat. The child becomes a parent, a shopkeeper, a dog.

Jean Piaget described this as symbolic play, and placed its emergence at around 18 to 24 months, during what he called the preoperational stage of cognitive development. Before this, a toddler mostly explores objects for what they are. After it, objects begin to carry meaning that the child has assigned.

The earliest signs are small. A one-year-old might tip an empty cup to their lips and pretend to drink, then offer you a sip. This is imitation shading into imagination.

By two, the play grows more elaborate. Teddies are fed, put to bed, and told off. Simple sequences appear: fill the pot, stir the pot, serve the dinner.

By three and four, whole narratives unfold, often with several characters and shifting plots. A child may direct the action aloud, narrating and casting parts for anyone nearby.

Vygotsky, writing in the 1930s, argued that this kind of play creates a zone of proximal development, allowing a child to act beyond their usual level. In pretending to be a grown-up, a toddler practises self-control, negotiation and language they could not yet manage in real life.

You do not need to teach pretend play so much as make room for it. Open-ended toys, unhurried time and a willingness to join in do most of the work. Our wooden toys are designed with exactly this kind of open play in mind.

Why Pretend Play Is Declining in Young Children (And Why It Matters)

Many parents sense that imaginative play is thinner than it once was, and there are good reasons to think they are right. The clearest pressure is screen time.

The World Health Organization issued guidelines in 2019 recommending no sedentary screen time for children under two, and very little for those under five. Researchers link heavy early screen use to fewer opportunities for imaginative play, simply because a child watching a screen is not inventing anything themselves.

A screen supplies the story. Pretend play requires the child to build one. That is the difference, and it is the reason the pretend play decline worries so many educators.

There are other factors. Highly structured toys that do only one thing leave little for a child to imagine. Busier schedules squeeze out the long, unhurried stretches that elaborate play needs.

Why does it matter? Because pretend play is not idle. The UK's Early Years Foundation Stage framework, updated in 2021, identifies play-based learning as a core principle for every child from birth to five in England.

In pretending, children rehearse language, test social rules, and manage strong feelings at a safe distance. A toddler who plays at being brave is practising courage. One who runs a shop is practising fairness, counting and turn-taking.

The remedy is not complicated. Fewer screens, more time, and toys that ask something of the imagination rather than supplying everything. If you would like practical steps, we have written about how to encourage imaginative play without screens, and about the toys that help children play alone in our guide to independent play for toddlers.

How to Encourage Pretend Play at Every Age from 12 Months to 5 Years

At around 12 to 18 months, follow your child's imitation. Offer a spoon and a bowl and eat pretend porridge together. Feed the teddy. Keep it short and repeat it often, because repetition is how the idea takes hold.

From 18 months to two years, name the play as you go. Say what the bear is doing and let your toddler take over. This is the window Piaget identified for symbolic play, and small props do a great deal of the prompting.

Between two and three, offer simple roles and let the child lead. Be the customer while they run the shop. Resist the urge to correct the story; a bus that flies is perfectly acceptable.

From three to four, stretch the narrative gently. Ask what happens next, or introduce a problem: the shop has run out of apples, whatever shall we do? Children of this age relish a plot with a hitch to solve.

By four to five, step back further. Set out a few props and let a group of children build the world themselves, intervening only to keep things fair. Shared imaginative play depends on negotiation, which is worth encouraging in its own right; our notes on how to encourage cooperative play go into this further.

Across every age, the fine hand movements involved matter too, from dressing a toy bear to arranging small pieces. Those skills develop through exactly this kind of play, as we explain in our piece on fine motor skills in toddlers.

The single most useful thing you can offer is unhurried time, followed closely by your own willingness to play a small part and then quietly withdraw.

What to Buy to Support Pretend Play: Toys and Props That Actually Work

The best pretend play props tend to be open-ended. A toy that can be many things invites more imagination than one that can only be itself.

Dress-up and role sets are a reliable starting point. Our Wooden Puzzle Game - Bears Dress Up Set works well here, because dressing and undressing the bear combines storytelling with the small, deliberate hand movements that toddlers are keen to master.

Look also for simple household props: pots, cups, tools, and figures that can take on any role a child assigns. These sit at the heart of our wooden toys range, chosen for durability and for the freedom they leave to the imagination.

As children approach four and five, gentle structure helps sustain longer play. Early board and turn-taking games introduce rules, waiting and cooperation, and our board games and traditional games bridge the space between free pretend and organised play.

Quality is not vanity here. A toy handled daily for years must be well made, which is why our pieces use FSC-certified timber and are tested to UKCA and CE standards. Jaques has been making toys that encourage imaginative and structured play since 1795, and longevity is built into the design.

For a fuller shortlist, our guide to the best role play toys for toddlers gathers our recommendations by age. You will find a broader selection across our educational toys for toddlers.

Resist buying too much. A few good, open props used often will do more than a shelf of single-purpose gadgets.

When to Worry: Signs Your Toddler's Pretend Play Needs Extra Support

Pretend play unfolds at different rates, and a wide range is entirely normal. Some children narrate elaborate worlds at two; others are still mostly imitating at three. Both can be perfectly typical.

Still, it is reasonable to pay attention if certain patterns persist. If a child well past two shows no sign of symbolic play at all, using objects only for their literal purpose, it is worth a gentle note to your health visitor or GP.

Other things to watch for include very limited interest in imitating others, difficulty joining in when you model simple pretend, or play that stays fixed and repetitive over many months without growing more varied.

Language is closely tied to pretend play, so a marked delay in speech alongside absent imaginative play is worth mentioning to a professional. The two often develop hand in hand.

Context matters too. Heavy screen exposure can suppress imaginative play without any underlying difficulty, and reducing it often brings the play back. Given the World Health Organization's 2019 guidance against screen time for the under-twos, this is one of the first things to review.

None of this is cause for alarm. Most concerns resolve with more time, fewer screens and the right invitation to play. But early conversations with a professional are always worthwhile if something feels off, because support is most effective when it starts early.

In the meantime, keep offering open-ended play and joining in without pressure. Sit alongside your child with a few simple props, from our educational toys for toddlers, and let them show you where the story goes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pretend Play Decline

Why has my toddler stopped doing pretend play?

A temporary dip in pretend play is common and rarely cause for alarm. Possible reasons include developmental leaps, illness, fatigue, changes in routine, or increased screen time. The World Health Organization's 2019 guidelines note that sedentary screen time for under-twos reduces opportunities for imaginative play. Environmental factors matter too — a cluttered space or lack of open-ended toys can stifle creativity. Returning to simple, familiar play materials and joining in yourself often reignites interest. If the absence persists beyond several weeks alongside other developmental concerns, speak with your health visitor or GP.

At what age should toddlers start pretend play?

Jean Piaget identified symbolic, or pretend, play as emerging around 18 to 24 months of age, during what he termed the preoperational stage of cognitive development (Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood, 1962). You may notice early signs slightly before this — a child putting a toy phone to their ear or pretending to drink from an empty cup. Every child develops at their own pace, so a range of 18 to 36 months is considered typical for richer, more sustained pretend play sequences to appear.

How do you play pretend with a 2 year old?

Keep it simple and follow your child's lead. Offer familiar props — a toy tea set, soft animals, or small figures — and narrate what you are doing: 'The bear is hungry, shall we feed him?' Lev Vygotsky argued that adults scaffolding play helps children perform beyond their typical developmental level by creating a zone of proximal development. Avoid overcomplicating scenarios; two-year-olds often replay everyday routines such as cooking, sleeping, or shopping. Short, playful sessions of ten to fifteen minutes are more effective than lengthy structured activities.

Is too much screen time causing pretend play decline in toddlers?

There is good reason to be cautious. The World Health Organization's 2019 guidelines recommend no sedentary screen time for children under two, partly because researchers link excessive screen exposure to reduced opportunities for imaginative and physical play. Screens are passive and do not require a child to generate their own scenarios, characters, or narratives — all skills central to pretend play. Replacing even short periods of screen time each day with open-ended toys and unstructured play can make a measurable difference to a toddler's creative engagement.

What toys are best for encouraging imaginative play in toddlers?

Open-ended toys with no fixed outcome are most effective — items that a child can use in multiple ways across different ages. Look for wooden building blocks, small-world figures, toy kitchen sets, simple dolls, vehicles, and dress-up accessories. Jaques of London, established in 1795 and recognised as the world's oldest games and toys company, has a long heritage of producing toys designed to encourage imaginative and structured play. The UK's Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework (2021) also identifies play-based learning as central to child development from birth to age five.

How do you get a toddler interested in role play?

Model it yourself without pressure. Sit near your child and begin a simple scenario — feeding a stuffed animal or 'driving' a toy car — and see whether they join in. Toddlers learn through imitation, so seeing a trusted adult engage playfully lowers the threshold for participation. Introduce props linked to their real experiences: a toy stethoscope after a GP visit, or a small basket after a trip to the shops. Avoid correcting or directing the play heavily; the goal is engagement, not accuracy. Consistent, low-pressure invitations build confidence over time.

What is the difference between pretend play and imaginative play?

The terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle distinction. Pretend play typically refers to acts of symbolic substitution — using one object to represent another, or acting out a role — and is the form Jean Piaget described emerging around 18 to 24 months. Imaginative play is a broader term encompassing pretend play but also including daydreaming, storytelling, and creative construction that does not involve direct role enactment. In practice, both overlap significantly in toddlerhood and are equally valuable for cognitive and social development.

How many children are affected by pretend play decline in the UK?

There is no verified national figure specifically measuring pretend play decline among UK toddlers. While concerns about reduced imaginative play are widely discussed by early years practitioners and researchers, no single published statistic quantifies how many children are affected. The UK's Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework (updated 2021) does underscore the significance of play-based learning for all children from birth to five in England, implying that any sector-wide decline would have broad implications. For accurate current data, sources such as the Education Endowment Foundation or Public Health England would be appropriate to consult.

Should I be worried if my 3 year old doesn't do pretend play?

While Jean Piaget noted symbolic play typically emerges between 18 and 24 months, children develop at varying rates. By age three, most children engage in at least simple pretend sequences, so a complete absence may be worth discussing with a health visitor or GP — particularly if accompanied by other concerns around communication or social interaction. That said, some children are slower to initiate play independently but respond readily when an adult joins in. Before concluding there is a problem, try introducing open-ended toys and modelling simple scenarios yourself over several weeks.

How do you encourage pretend play in a child who prefers screens?

A gradual transition works better than abrupt removal. The World Health Organization's 2019 guidelines recommend no sedentary screen time for under-twos; for older toddlers, setting clear limits and filling that time with hands-on alternatives helps. After screen sessions, introduce props related to what they just watched — figures, vehicles, or play food — so the imaginative leap feels familiar. Lev Vygotsky's research highlights the value of a supportive adult co-playing; sitting alongside your child and beginning a scenario yourself often draws them in more effectively than simply offering toys and stepping away.