preschool play hospitalI have often told parents that they should be the Producer, not the Director of their child’s pretend play, meaning, set out some fun toys and objects and let your child create the story with the props. 

Today I was playing with Reagan with the pretend hospital including the doctor, patient in a cast, x-ray machine and baby nursery. After we had played for a while, mom got up and passed by dropping a stethoscope on the table. Next thing you know, Reagan was combining her life size props with her smaller representational toys. She had the doctor pinned to the floor while she was listening to her heartbeat. 

Mom did just what she should do–add a little something for play to extend it or move the story along. This will not only lengthen her child’s attention span for this play but also build a new language story.

What combinations of toys does your child like to play with? How do you combine toys? Share in the comments below.