Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play Look, listen and note
Effective practice
Planning and resourcing
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Smile with pleasure at recognisable playthings.
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How a baby is pleased to see a stripy bee soft toy, or a colourful snake that crackles when it is squeezed.
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Play games such as hiding the snake behind your back and slowly showing it coming round the corner of the play mat.
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Have a variety of familiar toys and playthings that babies enjoy looking at, listening to, touching, grasping and squeezing.
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Enjoy making noises or movements spontaneously.
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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”.
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Make exaggerated facial movements when you tell a story or join in pretend play, so that young babies notice changes in your body language.
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Use your face as a resource when you play pretend games.
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Pretend that one object represents another, especially when objects have characteristics in common.
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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.
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Show genuine interest and be willing to play along with a young child who is beginning to pretend.
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Provide a variety of familiar resources reflecting everyday life, such as magazines, fabric shopping bags, telephones or washing materials.
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Begin to make-believe by pretending.
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Children’s make-believe play in order to gain an understanding of their interests.
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Sometimes speak quietly, slowly or gruffly for fun in pretend scenarios with children.
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Offer additional resources reflecting interests such as tunics, cloaks and bags.
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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.
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The range of experiences children represent through imaginative play. How children respond in different ways to stories, ideas and their own life experiences.
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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.
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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?”.
Birth-11 months
8-20 months
16-26 months
00266-2008BKT-EN © Crown copyright 2008
22-36 months
30-50 months
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Creative Development
The Early Years Foundation Stage Practice Guidance
Development matters