All You Need for Pretend Play:
Pretend Play Toys and Supply

There are basically two types of pretend play toys : theme-set toys and dress- up toys.

The first type of theme-set toys are the ones where the toys are part of a bigger theme. These include: toy cash register, play money, pretend play food, medical kit, pretend play kitchen, tea cup sets, and so on.

Other type of theme-set toys are the ones which constitute a complete theme so the children can make a drama out of those toys, for instance: barnyard animals, doll house and furniture, and puppet theatre (with the finger puppet).

Pretend play dress-up toys can be a batman shirt, superman outfit or fairy dress.

You can then put together prop boxes for your kids using stuff available in your home, together with store-bought pretend play toys. When your child is bored with a particular theme, transform the props into another theme.

Here are some examples of the props you can make:

GROCERY STORE

• Paper/plastic bags
• Toy cash register
• Play money
• Unused credit cards.
• Paper and pen
• Empty cereal boxes, plastic food and clean juice and milk cartons
• Pretend play food, or the real one (add the latter on play day).

DOCTOR'S OFFICE OR HOSPITAL WARD

• Pretend play medical kit
• Bandages
• Dolls
• Tongue depressor from popsicle stick
• Blanket
• Assorted cloth.
• Candies (for medicine).

RESTAURANT AND KITCHEN

• Pretend play kitchen.
• Small plastic dishes, plastic cups, spoon, fork and knife (caution: if you're worried that your child will hurt herself using knife, omit this).
• Toy cash register and play money.
• Paper and pen.
• Apron.
• Pretend play food.
• Assorted little boxes (cardboard, plastic, etc) for 'to go' food.
• Real food (raw) or left over from cooking (potato skin, carrot skin, etc -- for a child, these can be anything). Add the raw food or left over one on play day and warn your child not to eat those.

Happy playing !!

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Related articles:

Why you would want your child to have a lot of pretend play
Top ten ways to enhance your child's dramatic play

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