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Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play

 
 Development matters Look, listen and note Effective practice Planning and resourcing
Birth-11 Months
 
  • Smile with pleasure at recognisable playthings.
 
  • How a baby is pleased to see a stripy bee soft toy, or a colourful snake that crackles when it is squeezed.
 
  • Play games such as hiding the snake behind your back and slowly showing it coming round the corner of the play mat.
 
  • Have a variety of familiar toys and playthings that babies enjoy looking at, listening to, touching, grasping and squeezing.
8-20 Months
 
  • Enjoy making noises or movements spontaneously.
 
  • The way a young baby may join in with you, moving their head or making sounds as you say, for example, "The dog went woof, woof".
 
  • Make exaggerated facial movements when you tell a story or join in pretend play, so that young babies notice changes in your body language.
 
  • Use your face as a resource when you play pretend games.
16-26 Months
 
  • Pretend that one object represents another, especially when objects have characteristics in common.
 
  • How children may turn to pretend play when an object comes to hand, for example, when a child uses a wooden block as a telephone.
 
  • Show genuine interest and be willing to play along with a young child who is beginning to pretend.
 
  • Provide a variety of familiar resources reflecting everyday life, such as magazines, fabric shopping bags, telephones or washing materials.
22-36 Months
 
  • Begin to make-believe by pretending.
 
  • Children's make-believe play in order to gain an understanding of their interests.
 
  • Sometimes speak quietly, slowly or gruffly for fun in pretend scenarios with children.
 
  • Offer additional resources reflecting interests such as tunics, cloaks and bags.
30-50 Months
 
  • Notice what adults do, imitating what is observed and then doing it spontaneously when the adult is not there.
  • Use available resources to create props to support role-play.
  • Develop a repertoire of actions by putting a sequence of movements together.
  • Engage in imaginative play and role-play based on own first-hand experiences.
 
  • The range of experiences children represent through imaginative play.
  • How children respond in different ways to stories, ideas and their own life experiences.
 
  • Support children's excursions into imaginary worlds by encouraging inventiveness, offering support and advice on occasions and ensuring that they have experiences that stimulate their interest.
  • Tell stories based on children's experiences and the people and places they know well.
 
  • Offer a story stimulus by suggesting an imaginary event or set of circumstances, for example, "This bear has arrived in the post. He has a letter pinned to his jacket. It says 'Please look after this bear'. We should look after him in our room. How can we do that?".
40-60+ Months
 
  • Introduce a storyline or narrative into their play.
  • Play alongside other children who are engaged in the same theme.
  • Play cooperatively as part of a group to act out a narrative.
  • Use their imagination in art and design, music, dance, imaginative and role-play and stories.
 
  • The way stories are developed in children's play, for example, children may start 'swimming' on the 'beach' and extend their storyline into a meeting with a mermaid and their adventures with her.
 
  • Be aware of the link between imaginative play and children's ability to handle narrative.
  • Carefully support children who are less confident.
  • Introduce descriptive language to support children, for example, 'rustle' and 'shuffle'.
 
  • Make materials accessible so that children are able to imagine and bring to fruition their projects and ideas while they are still fresh in their minds and important to them.
  • Provide opportunities indoors and outdoors and support the different interests of children, for example, in role-play of a builder's yard, encourage narratives to do with building and mending.