Talk to me about role play...

[over2021]

... not that kind

If I have to play shops, restaurants or schools one more time I might lose my mind. We have a free day at home today, access to a printer so can make our own props and a five year old with an active imagination.

Hit me up with some new role play ideas!

Puppet show?
Print people/animals/whatever out, stick them on wooden spoons and go behind the sofa to use it as a stage. Still boring though!

Geez I'd head out for a walk instead!!

Wellies and coat and splash in puddles if it's as wet as here.

Or better yet, borrow a child.

I loathed rose play

*role play obviously

Erm hospitals where you are the patient and have to lay on the bed or sofa and rest.

Restaurants where she prepares sandwiches and biscuits for afternoon tea.

Re-enact some favourite books along with photos.

Going on a bear hunt is a good one, involves visiting various locations.

I volunteer myself for a 'make over'. No idea where this came from but dd1 had loved make up from a very early age and she would beg to use my stuff on me to paint my face. I would lie back and let her have a go with my old lipsticks and blushes I got as freebies etc. I could have a nice rest whilst she used me like a human colouring book.

I rarely wear make up so no idea where this came from. She's 12 now and still loves doing it - last time she turned me into a panda.

Dungeons and dragons! (simplified of course)

Anything with tickets is a good bet. It could be theatre, zoo, train etc. You get a bit of mileage out of designing/colouring in the tickets if you want, 'booking' them with toys' names that are going to attend, all turning up and collecting them, checking them etc. Train with old cushions or seats, plus a trolley or buffet car and you can throw in a bit of a cafe theme along the way too.

I thought it was going to be something kinky!

"How about we do a jigsaw/play with lego/anything-but-role-play"

It must be a form of torture, you have my sympathies.

Make swords and shields out of cardboard and foil, then be knights.

The craft is easy but takes a while (they might like decorating the shield with their own coat of arms), so you kill time, and the role play is just banging around.

Anything which involves you lying down. My favourite is to lie on a big bean bag and DC puts a blanket and all their teddies on top. Then I pretend to be the "evil mountain spirit" and we have teddy avalanches.

DC also likes to pretend I'm a mountain and reenact 'The Bear goes over the Mountain'.

I love all the laying down games 😂

We went to the park in the end (where she still insisted on playing restaurants) then coming home and playing post offices - it took her ages to cut all the stamps out

Doctors/vets
The zoo
Dentist
Going on holiday

Bluey for ideas!

DD loves making cinema tickets, popcorn boxes, etc. Then plonk her in front of a film for an hour :)

Watch Bluey and just imitate the dad 🤣

Cleaners

Mine insisted on being the leader of school assembly at that age. So I sat on the sofa and was "the school" and she would bang on a keyboard and make announcements.

She's actually grown up to be ok.

Actually that kind of role play might just be the answer OP: end result is a new sibling to play shops with DC1 for you. Yes, pregnancy, childbirth, and having to raise another tiny human is preferable to spending hours role playing with a DC. Or you could organise a play date... that's probably the less radical option...