To Build social and emotional skills:

Parents can act out positive interactions with toys, such as taking turns with each other, sharing and waiting nicely for things. Include the child in building the scene where their toys interact positively and model those kind behaviors. You can also have toys show unkind behaviors, such as not sharing, to demonstrate the effects mean behaviors have on others and to introduce the child to emotional concepts.

Example: “oh no, this toy is sad because his friend did not share. What can we do to cheer him up?”.

Another way to incorporate emotional regulation concepts is to pretend a toy is mad or having a tantrum, and “help” the toy find ways to get out his anger safely and calm back down.

Example: “He’s so mad! He needs a big squeeze/big breath/to take a break/to do some jumps/etc. Can your toy help him?”

To Increase Their engagement in daily tasks:

Some kids have low interest in daily tasks such as potty training or brushing teeth, whether that’s due to fear or confusion, you can use pretend play to increase their engagement and understanding. When playing with a dollhouse you can pretend toys are going potty and washing their hands with high excitement and praise, or take toys to your actual bathroom and practice sequencing a daily task such as going potty or brushing their teeth.

This helps them have a better understanding of what to expect when they attempt the task themselves. The more they play with these tasks and experience them in safe, fun ways, the less aversion they may have towards them and they can start to progress towards trying the tasks themselves. After the toy “goes potty” you can encourage the child to take a turn too.

To Prepare them for new or scary situations:

Starting school or going to the doctor/dentist can cause a lot of fear in kids. Pretend play is a great way to prepare them for these moments! If a child has an upcoming doctor appointment you can help them know what to expect by acting out toys going to the doctor. Allow them to pretend play with the different instruments they may see and the different parts of their body the doctor may check.

Example: “okay let’s check your bear’s ears and eyes!”. Make sure your body language, tone and facial expressions are happy, calm and fun while playing. For things like shots, rather than yelling “OW!” or acting afraid, use pretend play to prepare your child without modeling excessive fear.

Example: “This might hurt, so I’m going to close my eyes, hold

my stuffy and be brave. This medicine will help me feel better. Ow, that pinched! Thank you for my medicine. It’s all done now and I feel better!”

There are so many ways that pretend play can be used to assist with your child’s development, these are just some initial ideas to help get you going so you can help your kids better learn through play. Let your imagination go and get playing!

Looking for more support?

At Hogg Therapy, our therapists use play based approaches, like pretend play, to help children build social skills, increase independence with daily routines, and feel more confident in new situations.

If you have questions about your child’s development or want personalized strategies to use at home, our team is here to help support your family every step of the way.

Reach out to learn more about how therapy at Hogg Therapy Pediatrics can support your child’s growth and development. Call 859-353-3666 to get started!