Imaginative Play for 3.5 yr old

beachybride1

Hi - rarely post here but starting to worry about my son's play habits (or lack thereof).  We have a 6 mo old too and he is going to be 4 in April.  I notice he rarely is able to play an imaginative game on his own.  For example, we can role play with his stuffed animals but it is him "talking" to them and I have to be their voices - he refuses to do this.  Sometimes if we're playing together like with firemen or something he will voice one of them but not a lot.  He also doesn't step into this kind of play on his own.  For example, I was making dinner and I told him that two race cars were speeding away and the policemen from his playmobil set were getting a call and needed to go find them and give them a ticket.  He pretty much refused to go along with this scenario (or any scenario) and focused on opening and closing the doors for the police station and then putting all the figures in the station, closing the doors, and saying it was bedtime.  I didn't think much about it but over the past few weeks at his school or on playdates, I've noticed other kids playing with dollhouses intently, voicing characters, etc..  Is he behind in this developmentally or does this come with time?  Sometimes when I am playing with him I feel like he is ok with it but other times like last night I worry and wonder if he is a bit off on this.  Please help - any input is fine.  He also has a very difficult time playing independently.  I can set him up with playdough for a bit or sometimes coloring but for any other type of imaginative play he seems a little lost and needs a lot of interactive input from me to get something going.  thanks for any input.

KathrynMD

I wouldn't set up any scenarios for him, let him use his own imagination in whatever context he wants.  Maybe suggest playing w/ cars or animals, but otherwise, let it go.  Let him "run" how he plays - if that's opening and closing doors, so be it.  FWIW, DD will be 4 in a few days, and I've really noticed in teh last month or so that she starting to work up really good scenarios for her toys.  Of course, its all some variation on playing "family" but she's now starting to add conversations for them, etc.

 

bearkatjen

My son is big on playing make believe, and has been for a long while. It doesn't really matter what DS is playing with - toys, paper towel rolls, nothing at all - everything has a story with him. There is always conflict and a climatic point. I will hear him act out variations of stories we have read or he has seen in a cartoon (along with making up new stories). I'd say I started seeing more of this when I started doing more dialogic reading with him. Instead of just reading the story, I ask open ended questions, and before reading the text, I ask him what is happening in the picture. I think the introduction of narrative skills really plays into imaginative play.

When you get down to it, imaginative play is how children storytell. So think of ways to encourage your son to storytell. If he draws a picture, ask him what is happening in the picture. If he builds something, ask for the story behind it. Who is the castle for, where is the ship going, who is on it? Check out books that are light on text, but have great illustrations (and your local children's librarian can help you find books like that) and that tell the majority of the story through the illustration.

No David, by David Shannon

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rhomann

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (which has no text)

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

There are tons of fantastic picture books at lend themselves well to this sort of reading. 

 

Littlejen22

I am 38 and have no imaginative play. My kids are not into it either. If he plays with others and has no other social issues I would just assume it is not how he likes to play.

ncbelle

You might be surprised that he's doing it either when you aren't looking or silently.  Callum very rarely does this when he is being watched but when he is playing alone in his room (which until recently he hasn't been very good at doing on his own) he chatters away.  He has gotten much more "vocally imaginative" in the last few months as well.  I would just keep modeling it and playing along with him.

kpips20

ncbelle:

You might be surprised that he's doing it either when you aren't looking or silently.  Callum very rarely does this when he is being watched but when he is playing alone in his room (which until recently he hasn't been very good at doing on his own) he chatters away.  He has gotten much more "vocally imaginative" in the last few months as well.  I would just keep modeling it and playing along with him.

I agree with this. DS does a ton of imaginative play when he's alone in his room for quiet time but very rarely will do it with anyone else. I wouldn't worry

WiggleBaby

my DD is almost 4 (in a few weeks) and is obsessed with imaginary play.  i remember for a long time though, we had to do all the voices, and it drove me NUTS.  then she got into doing some herself finally (altho she definitely prefers it when i do other voices too). ohh and my DD also does silent imaginary play too, like pp's suggested.  i'll see her lips moving even though she isn't talking out loud.  you never know what's going on in their little heads!!

the children i know with special needs do zero imaginative play, and look at you in a confused way when you try to make toys 'talk' in voices to them.  kids do need to be 'taught' how to play sometimes, they aren't just born knowing how, and it sounds like your son in catching on just fine! 

beachybride1

Thank you everybody for your comments...it's so hard not to worry, but it sounds like he is doing just fine.  We've had some other things going on that have caused me to be overly anal watching him and his actions and I wonder if I am just looking for something when he is just fine.  thanks again .