Pretend or dramatic play becomes children's way of organizing and processing information in an attempt to understand the complexities of the world around them. This is the basis of learning for young children. The more experiences and information children have, the more detailed their play likely will become. Enriching your child's play Even busy working parents can enrich their children's play with simple props and by asking questions that stimulate their imaginations. It's important to do this at home, even though children may already be pretend playing in child care.
Most toddlers love to pretend to drive cars, trains, trucks and buses.
Give them a box to sit in, some old keys and off they go. Put a chair beside the box for a passenger, and go for a ride yourself. Add a sailor's hat or a ticket folder from a recent flight and the box turns into a boat, train or plane. Shopping for food is another activity that intrigues even the youngest child. Ask Jamie where she's going in her pretend car and chances are she'll say the supermarket.