Preschool play ideas & creative activities

Preschooler play: why it’s important for imaginative and creative development

Play fosters creativity and imagination in preschoolers, and the preschool years can be one of the most creative times in a child’s life.

As their imaginations grow, play gives preschoolers opportunities to:

build confidence
express feelings and learn communication skills
develop, practise and improve coordination and motor skills
practise decision-making, problem-solving and critical thinking
explore ideas in a safe environment.

These are all very important skills for the preschooler years and beyond.

What to expect as your preschooler’s imagination develops

From around three years your child might enjoy dramatic play using puppets and dress-ups, tell you very detailed stories about things that never happened, or have an imaginary friend. She might pretend to be a grown-up, a doctor or an astronaut.

Your preschooler will probably be very keen on any chance to scribble, draw, paint and paste. At around four years, your child can draw places, things and people with lots of detail from his imagination.

By five years, your child is starting to get better at drawing complex shapes – like diamonds, triangles and stars – and can express thoughts and ideas through drawing. She might also start to use art to tell stories, show feelings or describe things that she’s seen.

It’s worth remembering that children at this age can’t always tell what’s real and what’s made up. This might mean that any scary monsters from stories become real to your child. If your child has nightmares, reassure him that he’s safe and explain that the monsters are only make-believe and can’t hurt him.

You’ll see your child expressing her imagination and ideas in all kinds of creative ways. Get some ideas for creative activities to do with your preschooler.

Play ideas and creative activities for preschoolers

Try to step back from your child’s play. This gives your child the chance to decide what and how he wants to play. But remember that your child still needs you to encourage and help him if he’s having trouble or he feels overwhelmed.

Here are some play ideas to encourage your child’s imagination:

Tell stories and read books. Your preschooler might enjoy making up new endings for familiar stories. Also try sharing silly rhymes and riddles. Preschoolers especially like word games and enjoy making up their own jokes or rhymes.
Go for a nature walk or play outside in different kinds of weather. This a simple, low-cost way to let your child experience new and stimulating environments.
Make time for outdoor play in safe spaces that give your child freedom and time to explore.
Get your child to help you with simple household chores. She could be a waiter who helps to set the table. Or she might like to pretend that she’s a chef and help you with some basic cooking.
Set up a special play space within your home. Large cardboard boxes or cloths draped over chairs provide endless possibilities for pretend play. Include plenty of toys like blocks or balls, which allow for open-ended play.
Take the time to rest and dream. Lie on your backs together and look at the clouds and the sky. Imagine what the various shapes could be.

You can also make up some simple, low-cost play activities for your child. For example:

Give your child crayons or pencils for drawing and scribbling. Your child could make simple maps of your neighbourhood or the way to a friend’s house.
Make a ‘busy box’ for your child, full of things like icy pole sticks, coloured papers, string, glue and other recyclables like cardboard boxes and plastic bottles. It can also include natural items found outdoors like twigs, petals, stones or feathers. These are great for craft projects.
Collect a box of old clothes, shoes, jumpers, boots, handbags and other things for dress-up games.
Set up a messy play area with sand, clay, playdough, paints, water or mud. You can also take a trip to the beach or river bed to play in the sand and clay.
Keep old magazines and catalogues. Your child can cut out pictures of people, animals and objects use them for collage.
Enjoy puppet play with your child. All you need to get started is a sock or even just a paper bag!
Listen to music or make musical instruments from everyday objects like empty milk cartons filled with uncooked rice or pebbles, or rubber bands stretched over an opened box. Make music a part of your preschooler’s other activities – for example, singing and drawing at the same time.

Screen time and imaginative play

It’s good to know that screen time can spark your child’s play and imagination.

For example, drawing or painting on a screen can develop your child’s ability to use shape and colour in imaginative ways. Or your child might get new off-screen play ideas from screen use – for example, from watching a good-quality TV show like Play School.

Here are a few things you can do to help your child get the most out of screen time:

And remember – healthy screen time is all about balance. It’s good for your child’s development to do lots of different activities, including pretend and creative play, physical play, social play and reading, as well as digital play.

In general, the key events in development happen in a similar order, but the age they happen might vary for each child. If you’re concerned about any aspect of your child’s development, it’s a good idea to talk with your child and family health nurse or GP, your child’s preschool teacher or your child’s child care educator.