Dress-ups and make believe

At around 15 months, toddlers start becoming interested in dress-ups and make-believe play.

Toddlers are interested by their world and the different roles in their community. Your toddler will mimic mannerisms they see around them, like pretending to go to work or doing the grocery shopping.

Playing with dress-ups can:

• provide lots of opportunities to pretend
• help your child learn new words (hat, shoes, pants)
• learn about different people and jobs (nurse, baker, mum, dad).

Your toddler might want to play in the dress-ups by themselves, or prefer your help and for you to play with them. By following your toddler’s lead you are boosting their self-esteem and creating special bonding time with them.

Cardboard boxes are great for open-ended, imaginative play. These can be played in, used to build a fort or tunnel, or drawn on with crayons. Supporting open-ended play lets your child explore ideas and be in control of their own learning.