Different toys support imaginative play in different ways. Indefinite toys like building blocks invite children to engage and create, while defined toys like Lego provide specific settings and characters. Dress-up clothes and repurposed items also encourage imaginative play.
Different types of toys can support imaginative play in different ways. Somewhat indefinite toys, such as a block of wood or a block of plasticine, invite the child to engage with them and to get what he wants out of them. Lots of art supplies and building blocks of various types fit into this category of imaginative toys. Other examples are Erector Sets and K’NEX®, which can be used at will by the child.
A second category of toys is more defined and creates specific opportunities for children to engage in imaginative play in more particular ways. While you could build a castle, a hut, a luxury ocean liner or a spaceship with a set of wooden blocks, with Lego®, for example, certain pieces are connected to a specific environment: an island in the South Seas, a pirate ship, a launch pad, a castle or Sherwood Forest. This type of toy provides support for imaginative play in a certain genre or setting by giving the child settings, props, and characters to work with. It is similar to a movie set, on which any number of stories can be played out. Finger puppets or hand puppets and a puppet theater have a similar role.
If children feel they can set aside the instructions and build their own creations, or allow Robin Hood to travel in the spaceship, other interesting stories can come to life in their imaginative play. The thing is, part of what makes a toy good for imaginative play is for the child to feel able to appropriate them from their intended use to an alternative use, as long as it’s safe. So, for example, a set of stilts designed to help build your child’s coordination might, from the child’s point of view, turn him or her into a giant. A deck of cards sold to help children learn to distinguish patterns and use compare-and-contrast skills could become a designer house of cards.
Dress-up clothes are also a good stock item for imaginative play. Animal noses, scarves, ties and hats from different professions are all useful. Old Halloween costumes can find a home in fancy dress clothes. People who sew can find sewing patterns to add to the collection, providing particular items to suit a child’s special interests.
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