What do your 6-8y girls play with their friends?

[Hulababy]

I love listening in on 7y DD's games when she has friends round. They have such lengthy detailed imaginative games, often based around family lives such as parenting, school, shopping, work, libraries, etc. They set the whole game up, get the dolls out (these have made a big come back recently I noticed), make props for the games, etc.

How do they even decide between them what they will play, what roles they have and how it will progress?

DD and her friend have been upstairs for the past two hours playing some game involving looking after babies, going to the park, having a BBQ, etc.

And when Katz's DD1 is around the games seem even more intricate between them. They have such a similar imagination and mind set, they just fall into these games easily. Favourite seems to be schools, where the school set comes out, pupils arrive, thy have full lessons with real work, play times, discipline, reward schemes, you name it. If their teacher's could hear the way tey play I am sure they'd recognise their own voices in there, like I do when DD plays at being mum

So, do you girls still play these types of games and do you like to listen in?

[lljkk]

• Mostly making up clubs, says 7yo DD. Big Cat Clubs, Dinosaur club, Wild animal lovers club. They make lists of who is in the club (listed in order from themselves to least fave friends), the names of the officers, the rules, the aims, the meeting times, etc.
  
  
• Pretending to be dinosaurs (DD likes to be a deinonychus, her mate is a T-rex), or
  
• Playing with plastic animals and soft toys (especially plastic dinos).
  
  
• Some role play based on Star Wars; DD's best mate tends to be the Emperor and DD likes to be Boba Fett.
  
  Not a dolly girl or that interested in real life narratives .

[pugsandseals]

DD and a particular friends always hide in their tent with a notebook and try to make sense of what me and friends mum are talking about- have to be very careful about what they overhear but they haven't caught us out yet I don't think!
The other popular game is fairies- they are very anti-boys at the minute!

[FernieB]

My twin DD's were similar at that age. They are now 9 and have pretty much discarded all toys. I miss overhearing the "conversations" their dolls were having. Yesterday they had a friend round and spent the whole time concocting a potion from various bits of soap/shampoo which they then mixed with water and made into bubble mixture. They made their own bubble blowers using dried seed pods which had fallen from our tree. Was impressed by their ingenuity. Then spent half an hour hosing down the terrace and garden furniture!

[mrshibbins]

boys. boyfriends. which boys they fancy. which boys are in love with them. who dumped who. high school musical. anything 'teen' on disney channel (which I don't allow at home). makeup. any awful pop songs. x factor. britains got talent. that awful whatshername mylie cyrus ... and these girls are just 8

despite my best efforts, no interest in imaginative play at all sadly, apart from making up dance moves ...

[Hulababy]

Ah, that seems such a shame at just 8 mrshibbins. DD and her friends love HSM and Hannah Montana but the idea of boyfriends for them is very much a long time in the future. DD is at an all girls school (not all her friends are though, and DD does have male friends) so maybe it does keep her a bit younger on the boy front - I hope anyway!

lljkk - oh yes, DD and some school friends are obsessed, when at school, about making up secret clubs. They have rules and passwords, and make badges. They have special files for them, lol.

[Rachmumoftwo]

My 2 (6 and 8) have got all of their dolls and soft toys lined up in the living room and are playing weddings. This is why I am up in the study on mumsnet lol.

[Mumcentreplus]

Mine like to do 'shows' (which can drive you mad but you smile and enjoy)..plays, school,mums & dads,shopping,making up dances,hair,make-up,nails they like HSM and Hannah Montana...They rarely speak about boys but they like to tease each other...

[Rachmumoftwo]

Must be the wedding reception now- they have the Singstar out and are belting out Abba hits!

[Hulababy]

lol

[muggglewump]

DD, (8 on Friday, yikes, how did that happen!), plays Bratz, but they do make up school/family type scenarios with them, or day trips out to the beach or cinema (she has the Bratz car).
They love to watch music channel and sing and dance, put make up on, I do let them wear it but only in the house when they put it on as they resemble cheap transvestite hookers!

They like to watch DVD's, HSM type, or Disney cartoon suff.

It's all fairly innocent atm.