For the whole day, my son has been running around dressed like, he says, a knight (see picture). With a stick, he has been running around the house pretending to gallop around in his imaginary horse.

Props and costumes help his imagination soar.

Pretend play helps kids express themselves and explore their imagination. It is .

And to help develop your child's storytelling and language skills, you can also ask who, what and where questions, in relation to her pretend play.

As children develop the ability to represent experience symbolically, pretend play becomes a prominent activity. In this complex type of play, children carry out action plans, take on roles, and transform objects as they express their ideas and feelings about the social world (Garvey, 1984).

Encourag pretend play and have fun playing/bonding with your child!