I have a 3 year old who all day every day wants to play pretend with his parents, is it normal?

Question

My son only wants to play pretend throughout the day he asks to be a frog and you be a puppy, or I will be a prince and you be a dragon or you be the teacher from school and I will be the student. Is it normal to play pretend that much at 3 years old? It is kind of driving me nuts.

Answer 1

yes

Answer 2

"It is kind of driving me nuts."  Then why did you have a child?  This is a part of early childhood.  It has been proven that children who are allowed to use their imaginations throughout their lives wind up to be more intelligent adults.  I doubt Bill Gates' mother said HIS imagination was driving HER nuts.

Answer 3

My son is the same way. He has a great imagination. I think it's wonderful.

Answer 4

Yes, hes' three.  He's discovering his world, and imagining is the way he can do that.

The other day my three year old pretended there was a door in the middle of the room!  And if I didn't open it, he's get upset that I broke the door down.

Answer 5

Absolutely its normal, especially if he is the only child in the house.  The thing that sucks, when we grow into adults, is we lose our imaginations...remember being a kid when a blob of mud would be a pie, or when you have a baby doll, you treated it like it was real.  It's really good to have a huge imagination, and to use it.  He could be a famous actor one day!!!!!!!

Answer 6

oh yes it is VERY normal. Even though barking like a dog or hopping like a frog may seem a little ridiculous to you you should really encourage him to "play pretend" it helps him build an imagination and understand roles.

If you want him to leave you alone arrange play dates with other kids his age. It will help him learn to build relationships and give you some time alone.

Or you could take him to the park or a local fast food restaurant's "play place" when you get a chance.

If you do those things and he still wants to play with you at inconvenient times then tell him that mommy is busy and will play with him later but right now he can  go in the back yard or to his room and play.

Good luck!

Answer 7

What a wonderful imagination! He will be creative if given half a chance, and yes that means going along with him as often as you can. Maybe you can re-direct his game by proposing one of your own that fits into your routine a little better. He needs a playmate.

Answer 8

Very normal! My brother pretended he was Lassie for about 6 months. And he would insist that my mom play along with it. She would feed him in a bowl under the table sometimes and call him Lassie. Anything to encourage his imagination. If it is driving you nuts maybe try to set some boundaries- playing pretend at home or only at certain times. But I wouldn't be worried about it, just set some limits.