What counts as imaginary play?

[noblegiraffe]

I've read on here that a child might appear to be doing imaginary play but it doesn't count because they are re-enacting something they have seen on TV, like playing out a scene from Thomas or something.

So what should I be looking for to count as genuine imaginary play? If he puts his socks and pants on the floor and pretends to walk over them as stepping stones on lava does that count? Or is it more about pretending toys having conversations with each other?

My m

I think its like putting a pillow on your head and pretending its a hat or using a banana as a telephone.so using an object as something else

Thanks Polter, yes, thinking in the context of ASD. His school suggested in Feb that he might have ASD and they were talking about a possible assessment. He was put on an IEP and they did some work on his social skills. When it was reviewed they said his social skills had improved and they weren't as concerned any more. So I don't really know what to think and am just symptom-spotting I suppose.

If it's social imagination I need to be looking out for, should I be asking why x character did why thing? He's not very good at it, but then I don't know what to expect from a 4 year old.

How easy does he find it to play an imaginary game with a nother person? Can he cope with incorporating their ideas into the game (building on them and then adding his own) or does he need the game to follow a 'script' that he has developed. Does he get cross if the other person does not know what the script is? I think by 4 this sort of joint play is supposed to be emerging (though imperfectly cause it takes lots of social skills to play well as part of a group).