Would like your little one to become a great friend, to feel self-assured and safe, as well as have great results in school? It’s as easy as supporting her passion for make-believe. You can easily enable her acquire more out of her most loved forms of pretend play by reading on why pretend-play games are so important for your child’s development:

• Symbolic Play

To you, a block is just a block, but put it in your toddler’s hands and it becomes anything from a sandwich to a cruise ship. This may not seem like a major developmental milestone, but the ability to think symbolically is essential to learning language and math. “It’s how children come to understand that letters stand for sounds and numbers represent amounts,” says Jane M. Healy, PhD, author of Your Child’s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence. Symbolic play also requires your kid to think abstractly, which helps him become a creative problem solver.

• Acting Like an Adult

In the beginning, you’re apt to catch your kid pretending to be her idol: you! In her eyes, you’re superstrong, you seem to know everything, and you’re always in control – qualities all toddlers wish they had. As she gets older, she’ll try on other take-charge adult roles (think doctor, policewoman, or store owner), which helps her make sense of the real world. Join your child’s make-believe games (if you’re invited, of course), but remember: You should always let her direct the action. “Ruling an imaginary world is comforting to toddlers because the real one seems so big and intimidating to them,” says Dr. Healy. “This is their chance be in control.” For example, you and your child can cook together using her play kitchen a pretend meal for her stuffed animals.

• Imitating Superheroes

Pretending to be Batman or Wonder Woman allows 2- and 3-year-olds to feel brave and invincible, which helps them develop self-confidence, says Dr. Healy. Another awesome perk: All that running and leaping keeps them active and builds strength, balance, and coordination. It is your task however to make sure your child’s superheroic adventures are safe. Explain that it’s okay for your child to pretend he’s strong, but only if he doesn’t hurt himself or anyone else.

Read more parenting tips on kids development at Parents.com

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Because your toddler’s verbal skills aren’t great yet, it can be hard to know what he’s thinking. But you can see glimmers of imagination in his imitation of the things he sees around him — a behavior that often emerges around the age of 18 to 20 months. Your toddler might copy the things you’re doing, mimic his own daily routine by pretending to feed his stuffed bear or put it down for a nap, or act like the family dog.

An active imagination will help your toddler down the road in more ways than you might think: improving vocabulary, taking control, solving problems and much more. Here are some tips from great blog for parents BabyCenter.com on how to raise an imaginative child:

Read books. Reading stories together is a great way to enrich your toddler’s fantasy life. Choose books with lots of big, colorful pictures and enjoy the fact that right now — before your child learns to read and insists on strict adherence to the printed text — you can make up anything you want. Show him pictures of everything from beetles to pinwheels, make sounds for the animals and vehicles, adopt special voices for the different characters, and talk about what happened or might happen to the people or animals in the book.

Encourage pretend play. Children learn a lot from dramatizing events from their daily — and fantasy — lives. When your toddler invents a scenario and plot line and peoples it with characters (“It’s Teddy’s lunchtime”), he develops social and verbal skills. He’ll work out emotional issues as he replays scenarios that involve feeling sad, happy, frightened, or safe. Imagining himself as a daddy, a teacher, or a doctor makes him feel powerful.  For example, pretend play kitchen toys give your toddler the experience of being in charge, practice things he’s learned, and make situations turn out the way he wants.

Limit TV time. When it comes to your toddler’s TV viewing, moderation is key. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV at all for kids under 2, but many parents end up allowing their toddlers a small amount of TV time. When your child does watch TV, try to keep it to short stretches of no more than ten to 15 minutes at a time. Avoid the temptation to use the tube as an electronic babysitter, and instead sit and watch along with your child, posing questions, expanding on ideas presented in the show or movie, and finding out what he responds to most.

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http://www.pretendplaykitchenshop.com/Pretend-Play-Kitchens/Deluxe-Play-Kitchen-Melissa-Doug Pretend Play Kitchens Deluxe Kitchen Melissa and Doug 2607 is in stock with FREE SHIIPING!

Pretend Play Kitchens Deluxe Kitchen 2607 from Melissa and Doug is in stock with FREE SHIPPING! Children pretend play with these wooden play kitchens. Suitable for toddlers and kids age 2 and up. The Deluxe Kitchen lasts for generations because of the sturdy wood construction.

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Pretend play kitchens Guidecraft G97255 Complete Kitchen Center Play Set kids will play with for hours.

Pretend play kitchens Guidecraft G97255 Complete Kitchen Center Play Set features 5 major appliances in one attractive play kitchen island.  There’s a stove, oven, microwave, sink, and dishwasher. Girls, boys, and children of all ages will enjoy this toy play kitchen for years to come. Many families also end up handing this down through the generations – because of the wooden construction it stands up to the test of time. The island design of this play kitchen allows kids to play together at the same time. All the knobs turn and doors open. There’s also plenty of storage room for their other play food items. Pretend play kitchens are great for kids because they encourage them to use their imagination rather than be entertained by some electronic toy. Order yours today at www.PretendPlayKitchenShop.com, where you get free shipping on every order.

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Pretend Play Kitchens KidKraft Pink Retro Kitchen 53160 is in stock with FREE SHIPPING offers!

Pretend Play Kitchens KidKraft Pink Retro Kitchen 53160 is in stock with FREE SHIPPING specials running! Children pretend play for hours with these kitchens. Start as toddlers and kids keep playing ages 2 to 6. The Pink Retro play kitchen will last for years on end because of the sturdy wooden construction.

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Pretend Play Kitchens KidKraft Red Vintage Kitchen 53156 is in stock with savings up to 30% off now!

Pretend Play Kitchens KidKraft Red Vintage Kitchen 53156 is now available and in stock at up to 30% off! Young chefs will love cooking up feasts for the whole family with this adorable KidKraft wooden kitchen. This toy kitchen set has many features! It can start as a toddlers play kitchen and last them for years to come! It’s a retro play kitchen for kids that parents will enjoy sharing with them too!

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Pretend play kitchens Kidkraft Primary Baking Set 63165. Wooden toys stimulate imagination in children.

Pretend Play Kitchens Kidkraft Primary Baking Set 63165. Baking fresh cookies is always a great activity for parents to share with their children. Now, with our new Primary Baking Set, the young chefs in your life can do all the work themselves! A great addition to their pretend play kitchens, these wooden 8-piece sets are so detailed that you’ll swear you smell the chocolate chips.

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Pretend Play Kitchens KidKraft Cook Together Kitchen 53186 is in stock with savings up to 30% off!

Pretend Play Kitchens Kids KidKraft Cook Together Kitchen 53186 is in stock with savings up to 30% off! Children can play together with this for hours on end and years to come. Suitable for toddlers and kids ages 2 to 6 because of the variety of features. This play kitchen will last for generations and can be handed down as a family heirloom. This is the newest Kidkraft play kitchen, just came out September 28th!

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Kidkraft Grand Gourmet Corner Kitchen 53185 newest of the pretend play kitchens from Kidkraft!

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The Kidkraft Silver Kidkraft Silver Retro Kitchen 53170 is the best retro play kitchen available. Wooden play kitchens!

The Kidkraft Silver Retro Pretend Play Kitchens are of the highest quality, hand-crafted, hand-painted wooden play kitchen. It has that retro look and feel. The knobs on the oven, dishwasher, and sink turn. Children play with this for hours. It’s a suitable play kitchen for toddlers and older kids as well.

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