To be concerned that my 10 year old is too childlike

My DS is a bit like this. In his case he is an only child and I do think this contributes...although he has plenty of friends and cousins and is very happy and not lonely. He also plays a lot of football so there are elements of him where he is a bit more grown up (attitude to pressure of competition etc). He loves his soft toys and treats them as if they're real though, although perhaps not quite to the extent your daughter does. Whilst I am writing this he's literally just come up to me and showed me a drawing his toy has apparently done!

I do worry a bit for him when I see other kids growing up so fast and what he'll be like at secondary school, but he's in year 5 like your DD. I'm going to set aside my worry for another year!

It's absolutely shocking that 9 year olds are being given phones. Wtaf. Let kids be kids.

She sounds absolutely lovely. Don’t rush her, secondary school makes them grow ups.

I have a picture of my grandmother aged 12 surrounded by her dolls. She was allowed to be a child still but my own 12 year old, who was the most imaginative and playful child, stopped playing when she went into year 7 (and she was just 11)…

Enjoy her! Childhood like that is magical.

It's her peers with phones that are being influenced to play/act age inappropriately. She sounds just like a healthy, happy 10 year old should be.

She sounds wonderful OP! Her imagination and creativity are such great qualities for her to keep developing.

She sounds sweet. I think there is so much pressure on children to grow up, let her enjoy her childhood for as long as she wants

It doesn’t sound like it’s causing any issues socially so I wouldn’t be concerned. She sounds lovely! Also remember if she’s the oldest or an only child she may well seem more childlike than peers if they’ve got older siblings - I can already see that sometimes with my DD and her friends at 6, the ones with older siblings have much more awareness of older “stuff” than the others.

I agree with @splashofcolour. Whilst this all sounds very sweet, she does sound very young for her age. I’d be worried that she’ll get eaten alive at high school! You’re clearly worried there’s something amiss or you wouldn’t be posting. How is she with other things? Does she still believe in Santa etc?

Your child sounds wonderful and has age-appropriate interests and play.

There's growing pressure that means younger children feel they have to grow out of play at very young ages. Some parents encouraged it by thinking it proves their children are "mature". There's no reason for primary school aged children to be into TikTok, influencers and older interests.

I was like this as boy, but with "action figures" & toy soldiers. She'll be creating neural networks which will benefit her going forwards.

There's research which shows benefits ranging from increased language, cognitive & social skills to self-regulation, including things like empathy & reduced aggression.

"An important benefit of early pretend play may be its enhancement of the child’s capacity for cognitive flexibility and, ultimately, creativity (Russ, 2004; Singer & Singer, 2005). Russ, for example, in longitudinal studies, found that early imaginative play was associated with increased creative performance years later (Russ, 2004; Russ, & Fiorelli, 2010). Root-Bernstein’s research with clearly creative individuals such as Nobel Prize winners and MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant awardees, indicated that early childhood games about make-believe worlds were more frequent in such individuals than in control participants in their fields (Root-Bernstein, 2012)."

So no, I wouldn't worry.

This sounds wonderful. My children aren’t this old yet but I teach secondary and I love seeing y7 at the start of the year - they play games, hide and seek, tag, stuck in the mud and all that. They have amazing imaginations and are really fearless in their ability to play both at break and in their work (I’m an English teacher). It’s so sad that they often seem to lose this as they go through the year and ‘grow up’.
the most joyful - and well rounded adult - sixth formers are the ones I’ve sometimes ‘caught’ playing in the sixth form block.

Aww I would treasure this. I have two DDs. DD1 at 10 was full into makeup, socialising with friends, music etc and all hobbies went in the bin. Now at 15 it's all about the latest fashion, skincare, makeup. She hasn't "played" in years.
However, DD2 (now 12) was very much into her dolly's, cuddly toys, games etc at 10. Even now at high school I've noticed that her friendship circle seems quite child-like. None wear make up and they get excited when I pick them up for swimming or bowling. It's a car full of giggles rather than sullen looks and staring at phones like her sister did at that age.
So, enjoy it OP. I know I do. It doesn't last forever but I'm so grateful that my youngest has brought me extra time of playing, cuddles and her smelly soft toys.

I hope mine is still like that in a few years. She’s only 8 but has recently started playing with younger children at school as lots of the girls in her class are over imaginary play which makes me quite sad. I can see why being out of step worries you though. Does she do anything like drama? Mine has been much happier since I enrolled her in a class as she has an outlet for her imagination even if her friends aren’t keen on that style of play.

She's 9. My dd group is 7/8 and she mixes with 8/9 too and this is their play. I'm sure it change around 11...but let your dd be a child for as long as she can

Leave her be and thank your lucky stars you have a lovely, innocent and uncorrupted little girl.

She’ll grow out of this stage soon enough, then you’ll miss it. Please don’t force a mobile phone etc on her to help her “grow up”. If our kids stayed like children for longer we’d all be better off.

Completely normal. I have a nearly 10yr old who is very similar and I teach this age group. Half of the girls are suddenly into makeup and phones, while the other half still play imaginary games like your DD.
Enjoy it while it lasts!

Enjoy it whilst it lasts - 18 months time and it’ll all change when she goes to secondary school.

Definitely not an issue. You will find things will shift certainly year 6 onwards. I wouldn't rush it, so many kids are pushed to grow up to fast these days.

I agree with this. There are a lot of comments saying it's adorable. But it's not about being an adorable little girl, it's about whether a nine year old is developing as she should.

Now, I'm not saying nine year olds shouldn't play - I think they should, they're still kids. My girls still played at that age, but nowhere near as intensely or repetitively. They were also starting to get more into things like art and drawing and board games as opposed to dolls. I don't think they thought their toys were 'real' in the same way, even though they still played with sylvanians etc. It seems a bit unusual to me.

Both of them still have loads of cuddly toys btw. But there's a difference between having the toys and playing, and being totally immersed in the way your daughter is. You're worried about it. Are there other things about her development that worry you?

Every time I go into the loft, I check that my teddies are comfortable. I'm 40.

Bless her. She sounds adorable. I am a mum to a mid teen taking GCSEs in a couple of months. The best advice I can give is to cherish these years.

I overheard my mother having the same conversation when I was late primary / early secondary. I hated the fact she compared me to the girl next door, even more that she didn’t seem to love me for me. It’s stuck with me for years. I was quite immature but the youngest in the year group. I remember clinging onto my teddies as I was scared to get older / I had younger siblings that people gave more attention too as they were cute and younger (or so it seemed in my head).

OP your daughter sounds fine, maybe you could encourage additional things for her birthday to help transition her if you are concerned.

This sounds just like DS at this age! Interestingly, his teachers all described him as ‘mature’ so he was a bit of a chameleon and able to put his babyish side aside at school. I suppose it’s only an issue if it’s causing friendship difficulties.
(DS is at secondary now and is starting to get more grown up, finally!)

I'd enjoy it and embrace it.

In a couple of years, she'll be at secondary school, and will be too tired and have too much homework to faff with her dolls too much.

She'll probably keep them in the cupboard for old times sake, and new interests will form. .....but for now, just treasure these moments of her playing, because they will soon be gone and won't be coming back.

I'm going against everyone here and saying that it does sound (a little) strange, especially if you're feeling something but could be nothing to worry about.

Is she developing normally in other aspects?