Fantasy Play Ideas for Toddler

[raggedyanna]

I was reading some old threads about Chat test and thought my ds would fail totally on the pretend play aspects. I wonder if it is that he doesnt have the opportunity to do this so need ideas...

Have thought I may get him a tea set and fake food

He would totally NOT do the idea of dress up clothes, clothing full stop is over rated as far as he is concerned

Borrowed a dolly and buggy from a friend but he lugged the dolly by the neck a couple of times but was pretty uninterested itn the whole deal.

Have built a hut under teh table but not really a big success either.

HELP IDEAS PLEASE

Shops is pretty popular in my house, or anything where he has seen a man do it in the street, (very important that a man did it ) e.g. driving a mower, painting a house, digging up the road. What age is he? My ds is just 3 and only now getting into fantasy play with any conviction.

Tea set very easy to get into I think.

However the fact you ask the question suggests to me that this sort of play is not really your 'thing', and therefore may not be your son's either. Not all adults and children enjoy this sort of play as much as others. It's fine to just do all the things you do enjoy together, he will get the opportunity to do this sort of thing if he goes to day care or has any other adults look after him.

what about trains and cars?
or an aeroplane/airport set?
play food is good - you can get some good stuff from the ELC (pizza to cut up and everything)
isthere a book or dvd he likes you could use as a jumping off point e.g. let's pretend we're ogres like Shrek
PS please try not to thin kof this as "pass" or "fail"... it really isn't, and he will pick up on your anxiety for sure

Ds seemed uninterested in fantasy play, recently at 3 he now lives almost entirely in a fantasy world of time machines, tea shops, car repair shops.

thanks for that so I should maybe just stop worrying about the chat test stuff then? He is only 21mths at the moment but having a paronouid mommy moment. The airport one would probably be a hit and like the idea of extending dvd or book characters.

Think as he gets older you will probably have a hard time stopping his fantasy play. I can't remember when they start pretending but I don't think I'd be worried at 21months.

thanks for all this, a friend who has a dd with autism told me that he was alot like her dd at the same age and to check out the chat test which is where I started thinking hmm he couldnt do that sort of thing (pouring a cup of tea etc) he just has never seen us do it or had the chance with a play set (we have a coffee machine so no tea pots etc to role model with. I am reassured that children seem to be older whent hey are getting into this play.

Oh good lord yes, 21 months, don't worry. At the 2 year check the health visitor does, she will look for evidence that he can do a little bit of role play (usually ask him to pour a pretend cup of tea from a pretend teapot). All this shows is that he can understand that a toy teapot is a symbol for a real one - it's the basic concept of an object representing another one they are looking for - whether he enjoys or chooses this sort of play is another matter entirely.

DD1 loves playing shops, feeding her teddies with crayons and she has a toy microwave which she calls a kettle.
At the moment she is trying to put a hat on the cat
She's 27 months.

Thats really helpfull FrannyandZoey does that mean he is sort of starting to get the concept when he brushes teddy's hair?

Yes that's it raggedyanna! If he used something else (ie stick, pen etc) as a comb on his own hair that would be it as well. Moondog is really hot on this sort of thing, she will hopefully come and correct me if I'm wrong, but it's just the idea of one object representing another. I don't know much about autism, but I think I am right in saying that people with autism are usually quite literal and struggle with figurative concepts. So I guess pretend play would be missing there.

Or a toy telephone, or using a brick or something as a telephone? That seems to be a popular one (or maybe it's just all the children I have looked after see me on the telephone all day long )

Absolutely. They play in this way when they are ready and only when they want to, and it is wrong for anybody to suggest there could be a problem. I think it comes earlier in girls anyway, but 21 months is still very young. The problem is, I think there is a lot of pressure on hvs to pick up on "problems" early, and this can make them over-zealous. I know it's hard once someone has sown the seeds of doubt, but chill!

I would say the telephone will be around the first one (ds used his shoe last night and gave me another shoe to talk to him on).

They kept doing imaginative play in ds's toddler room at nursery and all bar the oldest kids (just 3) seemed totally bemused by most of it.

Our hv doesn't even DO 2 year checks anymore, they wait until 3 years! I really wouldn't worry at 21 months either. My dd is all fantasy play, but thats her - she's behind her pals on all sorts of practical things like jigsaws and colouring in (2.5).
Just a thought, but when he does get interested, you might try small toy dinosaurs, animals, bugs, that kind of thing...as well as the usual figures. dd preferred animals to people when she first started role playing, then moved on to people later.

True, dd's favourite toy for her 2nd birthday was a toy birthday cake with candles: boy, did she role play that one to death after the excitement of the real thing

Elibean I often buy the cake and candles as a second birthday present because I find that kids really do love it - both boys and girls.

DD is 24 months. She is into her "babies" big time. DS at this age wasn't. Both into the tea set, play food etc. Also supermarket trolley popular. Cleaning set - dustpan and brush etc. DS played with cars lots at that age. And I bought him one of those road mats with buildings on and told him what each one was. They also like playing with the ELC Happyland stuff. Also farm stuff.

I find that sometimes you have to do the role play first so that they get the idea. I now have DS (5) to do this for me with DD.

I agree, at 21 months I really wouldn't worry...if he is anythinglike my DS the sort of role play he might get 'hooked' by is policemen, firemen, ambulancemen, etc - I am rescued numrous times in the day, broken legs, burning buildings...you name it it goes on in our house!

Also think that children have different strengths at different times - my DS has always been role play mad, from when he could speak he has 'been' someone else...but spends ALL his time doing this and playing with his 'vehicles' as he calls them, therefore his skills at jigsaws, drawing, number and letter recognition, are definitely far behind some of his peers. It will all happen for your DS when HE is interested!

My ds has just played a role play game so unintelligible that the little girl he was playing with came in and said "I can't play with him - he's talking rubbish".

feeling most reassured thanks all, though he wouldnt be able to use an object to represent another like a brick for a phone, he definately mimics the uses of common items like hairbrushes and spoons etc and will feed his teddy at lunch time when he has it modeled to him.