What to do if a child isn't yet showing pretend play

Pretend play blossoms in its own time — a child who feeds a doll, talks on a toy phone or stirs an empty pot is showing you their imagination is awakening.

In short

If a child in your care isn't yet showing pretend play, the most helpful thing you can do is make space for it through everyday play, then watch warmly over the coming weeks. Pretend play usually emerges around 18 months and grows richer through the third year, so a single missing skill is rarely cause for alarm. If it hasn't appeared by around 24 months — especially alongside few words, little eye contact or limited interest in others — a calm developmental check is wise, because early support works beautifully at this age.

What to watch

Pretend play often starts small and builds in stages. Gentle things to notice:

• Functional play first — using objects for their real purpose (pushing a toy car, putting a cup to lips) usually comes before true pretend.
• Simple pretend — by around 18–24 months, feeding a teddy, pretending to sleep, or "talking" on a toy phone.
• Imitation — copying what you do, like sweeping or stirring, is a stepping stone to pretend.
• Joining in — shared smiles, pointing to show you things, and responding to their name are the social foundations that pretend play grows from.

If, by around 24 months, there's little pretend, little imitation, few words and limited social connection together, that's a reason to seek a check — not a diagnosis.

The science

Pretend (or symbolic) play reflects a child's growing ability to hold an idea in mind — a banana standing in for a phone. It's closely woven with language and social understanding, which is why clinicians watch it as a window into communication and thinking, not just play.

The Pinnacle way

A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care — never from an online list. Our team reads pretend play as one thread among many, and our speech therapy clinicians help build the language and imagination that grow side by side.

Trusted sources

CDC "Learn the Signs, Act Early" milestones on play and imitation; American Academy of Pediatrics (healthychildren.org) guidance on play and developmental monitoring; WHO ICF framework for major life areas including play (d7).

Next step — Trust what you've noticed. Book a developmental assessment with a Pinnacle clinician for a calm, clear review of this child's play and milestones.