12 Imaginative Play Activities to Pretend for Kids

These imaginative play activities are sure to spark creativity in preschoolers and little kids with dramatic play props, costumes, and toys.

In early childhood, imaginative play usually begins around age 2 or 3, when your toddler will imitate roleplaying activities, like feeding a baby doll or making tea for a party.

Imaginative play (also called pretend play or make-believe) is a deceptively simple concept. When your kids are playing alone or with friends or siblings, they’re practicing lots of important skills.

• critical thinking
• cause and effect
• language
• social skills
• emotions

Imaginative play tips

Imaginative play has no rules or goals, so while you’re creating an environment that encourages it, don’t be too worried about the details.

• Provide materials like dolls, play dishes, costumes, etc. that match your child’s age and development level. (No need to spend a lot. Part of imaginative play is pretending that a cardboard box or bowl and wooden spoon are something else!)
• Don’t put out too many materials at once. Kids can get overwhelmed by choices.
• Create physical space to explore, whether that’s a toybox in the corner of the bedroom or an entire playroom.
• Read together for inspiration!
• Playdates are fun for singletons. Look for other places to meet kids, like the park, the library, or mommy-and-me events.

Imaginative play activities for children

Farm/gardening

Planting a real garden has many benefits, but pretend gardening is fun too! You can purchase silk flowers at the dollar store, or make your own veggies and flowers from paper, cardboard, or even pipe cleaners.

Kids can have fun planting, pulling imaginary weeds, and watering their plants.

Cooking or cafe

Kids love doing the things they see adults doing every day. Purchase pretend food and dishes, or designate a cabinet in the kitchen where the real dishes are free for play.

You can even mix up a batch of play dough to use, as long as kids know it can’t really be eaten. Outdoors, let them get messy and make some mud pies!

Store

There are lots of pretend stores you can create: groceries, clothes, toys, cars, flowers, arts and crafts, etc. Gather items from around the house and set up a box to use as a cash register.

For big kids, give them a calculator and play money so they can add up the total for the customers.

Post office/mail carrier

Snail mail just isn’t as common as it used to be, but everyone loves getting a real letter in the mail. Give your child paper and envelopes to write letters. Use stickers for stamps. You can even set up mailboxes around the house for the mail carrier to deliver the letters.

Doctor/veterinarian

Caring for others is a classic kids’ role-playing activity. You can find toy medical kits or collect a few items from your first aid kit, like bandaids and a thermometer.

Your child can take care of dolls, stuffed animals, and even you!

Zoo/museum

Set up all the stuffed animals in cardboard boxes and take a tour of the zoo. Or build block towers, hang up coloring pages, and make your own art for a museum.

You can even make pretend tickets to get into the exhibit. Or maybe your child is the zookeeper, taking care of the animals all day.

Travel

Pack up a suitcase, make a paper ticket, and hop on an imaginary airplane or train to go on an adventure! Decide where you’re going – it might be to a faraway city, a beach vacation, or an imaginary place with wizards and dragons.

School

Even if your child hasn’t started school yet, they might be imagining what it’s like (especially if they have older siblings in school). Set up a desk, give them some supplies, and watch to see what classes they want to teach or learn.

Camping

You can go camping in the backyard or set up a tent indoors for some clean and safe camping. Make special treats, play camp games, and watch out for bears (even if they’re the soft and snuggly kind).

Carwash

There are 2 ways to set up a dramatic play carwash. For a smaller carwash, simply fill up the sink or bathtub and provide some supplies to wash toy cars. If you have the space, you can build a bigger carwash in the backyard for scooters and tricycles.

Book/cartoon characters

Explore being someone else and act out your favorite scenes from a story. You might be surprised to see how kids will change the plot when they’re in the director’s chair.

Parade

If you have a group of kids, have them put on a parade! Kids love to dress up, play pretend instruments, and do silly tricks as they march around the house.

These imaginative play ideas are just suggestions to get you started. Follow your child’s lead to find out what other things spark their curiosity. It can be fun for adults too, so don’t skip an opportunity to jump in and play along with them.

More fun ideas from Backyard Summer Camp:

• 12 Outdoor Games to Play at Night
• How to Dye Beans for Crafts and Sensory Bins
• 33 Gross Motor Activities to Get Kids Moving