Early imagination, anyone?

Most things I've read talks about 'true' pretend at 3 years of age.

Imitative pretend occurs much earlier.

Pretend with props, I've read differing views on it, but if someone is pretending a stick is a plane, I'd consider that more in line with real pretend.

The imitative play you've described is still occurring very early.

Pretending to be a dog... I assume you mean getting down on all 4's and barking? That I would consider to be true pretend, even if it is at a very basic level, and I would consider to be highly early.

How very fun! My dd2 was like this. We saw another big pretend jump around 16 months. Lots of pretend with props, that would enact scenarios... think of 5-7 year old girls playing polly pockets or dolls. By the time she was a bit over two, she would enact very complex pretend scenarios with her sister.

Enjoy.
Tammy

This is an area where DD was really early, too, and it has been and continues to be so much fun! I hadn't heard much about imitative vs. imaginative, very interesting.

I think we visited my mom's house where she has a day care and DD saw older kids playing (we usually do friends at the park so not the same kind of play as much), and after that, DD was pretending to put her babies to sleep and sing to them, cuddling/babywearing them, making them walk around, etc... I know it started before she could walk so it must have been around a year?

Before long it was making dollhouse dolls live out little lives and animals playing and etc... objects being turned into other things for play, etc. I know she played intensely with the play kitchen at 1.5. A little bit later we got out the playmobil nativity scene and she went bananas making them live little lives and have circle time and go to the bookstore I don't remember when it progressed to pure imagination, but we basically can spend all day now (2.75) playing with her little people or kitchen or whatever, going to Disneyland, going on adventures, having storytime, just making up stories.

Anyway, I think that does sound early. Have fun!

Yes, I do love this age. My life has vastly gotten easier. She just entertains herself. (Everyone has been telling me that this is when things get real difficult, with tantrums, etc. I have not seen that yet. Possibly because we can communicate better?? Maybe because she was a very very very high needs infant???)

I never thought of there being a difference between imitative play and imaginative play. That was an 'aha' moment.

For example, I remember at 13 or 14 months, DH put her animals' faces into the part of the rug that was blue and made a slurping noise. She has been doing that ever since. That was definately imitative.

However, lately she has been pretending that this large plastic lego base is a boat. She sits on it and says 'boat' and pulls up the sides around her and rocks back and forth saying 'whoah'. Then when she tips over its 'uh-oh'. She can do that for about 10 minutes. I don't know where she got that one. We have very little exposier to boats.

I can't wait for talking hands and such.

Oh, and the chart was very informative, thanks. I really enjoyed that.