Kim and Carrots: Kim has a beautiful toy kitchen, complete with pots and pans. Of course, that delicious pretend breakfast could also have been cooked on an overturned cardboard carton decorated with circles for burners and some real bowls and spoons. The younger the toddler, the more he or she needs props that look pretty much like the real thing.
Eventually, this need changes. Sometime after eighteen months, you’ll begin to notice your child using one object to represent another. A block might represent a cell phone for making urgent pretend phone calls, or an empty tissue box might become a charming hat. You’re witnessing the development of symbolic thought.
As children become more skilled at make-believe, often around age four, you might even see them improvise in their play…
