Imagining, creating and play: toddlers

Toddler play: why it’s important for imaginative and creative development

Toddlers are at an age when their imagination and creativity burst forth!  Play is so important in this development.   Imagination and creativity help your toddler to: 

• explore the world and their place in it
• better understand themselves and other people
• explore and express feelings
• test out different ideas and ways of solving problems.

What to expect as your toddler’s imagination develops

Dressing up and pretend play start at around 15-18 months. Your toddler will enjoy pretending to be a grown-up, using props like old clothes and hats. For example, she might imagine she’s driving a bus or serving in a shop.

Your toddler learns by copying what others do – For example, by the time your toddler is two years old, he might pretend to cook dinner using leaves and grass he’s found in the backyard.

At the same time, your toddler may also start creating her own pretend play stories and games. These might be from books you’ve read together or experiences she’s had, like going to the doctor.

Music of all sorts can have your toddler imagining fantastic things like flying like a bird. And he’ll express himself by singing, dancing and moving to his favourite songs and rhymes.

At this age, your toddler will probably also enjoy messy play. Digging sand or squeezing playdough may be popular activities.

Your toddler will probably enjoy playing and splashing in the bath too. She might test what her toys can do by pouring water from one to another, or dunking them underwater. Remember to always supervise your child around water. Toddlers are naturally curious and often fearless, so they’re at particular risk of drowning.

You’ll see your child expressing his imagination and ideas in all kinds of creative ways.

Play ideas and creative activities to encourage toddler imagination

It’s good to let your child come up with her own ideas for play. This gives your child a great opportunity to use her imagination.

You can try the following inside play ideas to encourage your toddler to put her imagination into action:

• Read books and tell stories together about wonderful places and creatures. Talk about the stories with your toddler or ask him what he thinks might happen next.
• Sing nursery rhymes that you remember from your childhood.  Remember, if you have a home language different than your country's majority language, it's wonderful to use this with your toddler.  
• Make some sounds and rhythms with homemade or bought musical instruments.
• Draw and scribble with crayons and paper and let your toddler draw from his imagination.  It doesn't matter what it looks like!
• Visit and explore favourite or new places in your home, like the saucepan drawer or a cupboard.
• Set up a special play space in your home. This can be as simple as draping a cloth over two chairs or cutting an opening into the side of a large cardboard box. Add some dress-up clothes or a pile of blocks to encourage your toddler to come up with stories and games.

Even if you are restricted in where you can go in your community, there are many outdoor play ideas to stimulate your toddler’s imagination:

• Go for a nature walk, even if it is just in your own yard– anywhere with interesting sights and sounds to inspire your toddler.
• Look up! Describe the different things you see in the sky – the moon, stars and clouds are fascinating to your toddler.
• Make a treasure box for your toddler, full of natural objects for your toddler to touch, feel and use. You could include objects like small leaves, colored stones, or seed pods.  Just watch for todders' putting things in their mouths!
• Try messy play using sand, playdough or paints. Just make sure these materials are non-toxic, because your toddler's fingers are likely to end up in her mouth at some stage.
• Set up water play. A bucket of water with a few plastic cups are all your toddler needs.  Bubbles may be fun for a change.  Always supervise your toddler for safe fun with water.

Toddler screen time and imaginative play

Current national and international guidelines recommend that children under two years shouldn’t have screen time other than video-chatting with people they know, and preschoolers should have very limited screen time with quality materials. This is because very young children learn and grow best through real-world experiences like physical play, playing outside, creative play and social time with family and friends--this is how their imagination blossoms.