When did your DC start imaginative play?

[scarletsmommy]

My DD is 14 months old and has no clue about imaginative play. Her Little People and Weebles are very lonely. Day before yesterday she put our phone up to her face and said something like "eeh-oh" which I am taking to mean "hello". Is that imaginative play or am I grasping at straws?
Right now all she does is roam around the room bringing her toys to me and looking for things to turn over in order to stand on top of them. Is she behind or is it too early to worry about that? The only person I know with a child close in age has an older sister (4yo) in the house. For some reason I have been worrying about this lately. PLEASE HELP ME before I go insane!!!

[elliput]

I think *talking* into the phone is a start at imaginative play. :-) It seems like all children start this at different times depending on their personalities. My DD just turned 17 months and I think she was almost 15 months before I noticed imaginative play. Don't be worried yet. :-)

[juliasmom05]

Just to let you know that my DD is 14 months as well and sounds exactly like your DD. IMO, I wouldn't worry at all.

Marci

Mom to Julia 4/05

[scarletsmommy]

Really? That's very encouraging. In the church nursery on Sunday mornings, she is the youngest (by at least 5 months) and is never playing like the rest of them. She's just wandering around moving things from place to place.

[dules]

I wouldn't worry. My DD is all about imaginative play, and has been since around her first birthday, but she could not care LESS about puzzles, stacking blocks and cups, etc. etc.

I think in part it's how the child is "wired" and what seems most appealing to her. They'll all even out by Kindergarten or so. :)

Best,
Mary

[juliasmom05]

DD does the same thing. Here favorite things right now are to walk with something on her head, sit on everything she can find and push anything that is mobile around the house. DD does play with her FP little people, but that consists of her throwing them down the farm shoot and eating them :-).

Marci

Mom to Julia 4/05

[sdbc]

I feel like there really are two types of imaginative play: one where the child is pretending to be something, and the other where the child uses models and has those models do things. So in the first type, the child might play with a toy phone or play with a baby doll and pretend to be the mommy, or may have tea parties with the dog. In the second type, the child is pretending their little People are carrying on conversations, or pretending the Barbies are doing something together. My daughter started with the first type at about 12-13 months. She still isn't doing the second type (she's 2). When she plays with Little People, it's really just to carry around. She doesn't have them act out things. I don't know if this is a proven theory, but it's been true with us.

Sue, mommy to Aurora (Rory) born 5/13/04

[MelissaTC]

ITA. DS at 3.5 really started into the "pretending" and everything now sings or talks. It is hysterical to watch (or overhear) sometimes. Right now as I type, little creatures he has created from playdough are singing the ABC song. LOL.

[Joolsplus2]

Oh gosh, don't worry yet at all! I kept big buckets of imaginitive things all over my ds' room for years before he finally started copying his sister when SHE was 18 mos, to really do imaginative things. Now he's 8.5 and can entertain himself for hours just standing in an empty room with one or two Pokemon or starwars figures, acting out his own shows. At 14 months she's still working on all those fun motor skills...once walking and lifting and sitting etc get second nature, then more 'playing' will happen :).
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx