Daniel's imagnative play

The toddler's ability to use a toy or object as a tool for imaginative play is an important step for being able to engage in pretend play, an inevitable social milestone in the young child's development. The use of language supports and enhances imaginary play and vice versa. When a child pretends, she uses words to express feelings and ideas. As pretend play becomes more sophisticated, so do language skill.

Daniel's ability to pretend play has certainly become more sophisticated recently. Yesterday he surprised me by some sort of horse-riding game, I was laying down in bed trying to settle him for his nap after lunch, he didn't show any intention to sleep after the unusual book-reading, instead, he was jumping up and down on bed as if the bed is a trampoline, which wasn't unusual. The unusual thing was he suddenly jumped to sit on my belly ( i was laying flat while both my knee bended up in a position like sitting-up) using both his hands to hold my knees shouting 'horse, horse, horse...Mama, horse!' and then started to bounce up and down on my belly. He was certainly imagine his old mum as horse and he is riding a horse, I never played this with him before due to the lack of imagination myself, so I was in a state of shock, also as he was bouncing really hard on my Cesarean scar, which I wasn't prepared for. But still i was very pleased. With a bit of help from both my hands to support his bottom to minimise the impact of his bouncing. i joined in his bouncing horse game. He was laughing and giggling and we had so much fun.

Daniel has been obsessed with hoover for a bit of time. He would be amazed by a hand hoover I used in the kitchen. Whenever I start to hoover floor using this hand hoover, he would whizz around with excitements and demand to have a go, he would say' baby... hoover ...', he would push the hoover across the kitchen floor and use his mouth to make hoover noise. Now when I am having shower in our en-suite upstairs in the morning, he would pick out some of my plastic lotus flowers with long stalk in a big vase in the bathroom holding it upside down with the flower bit on floor and sweep it across the en suit and bedroom with his mouth producing hoover noise and occasionally shouting 'hoover, hoover...', and it really make me laugh and think how imaginative he is! Well, while he got himself occupied, I had my peace to finish the shower. So I am quite pleased with his imaginative play though he ruined all my the lotus flowers.

Daniel used to having my undivided attention all the time and it seemed he need to constantly entertained, but now he can entertain himself with his imaginative play, so i am pleased, and he did this without resort to new toys/ activities. It's a good thing too, though I believe that structured play and activities are essential for stimulation the minds of young children and helping them to develop different skills. Now I'm taking the view that toddlers and children who have too many toys and are constantly entertained and stimulated soon become hyperactive, demanding more and more attention because they get bored very quickly.