Imaginative playtime is essential to child development. As your kids grow, they need to be encouraged to develop their creative skills. Playing house is a great way for children to develop their imaginations as well as to practice skills they will need when they grow up. As kids get older, their playtimes tend to become more detailed and complex. If you’re looking for ways to enrich your children’s playtime, consider these creative ways to play “house.”

 Play “House” Using Names and Characters from a Popular TV Show

Themes and characters from your kids’ favorite television programs can provide creative fodder for playtime. Encourage your children to stage their own episode of a favorite show. Better yet, read your child a book and then encourage them to act out scenes from the book. This fosters memory and the encourages them to think about and understand the story.

 Turn Mealtime into Playtime

As children learn about the world, playing “house” often evolves into acting out roles of various employment options. If your kids are picky eaters, make mealtime more fun by turning lunch into a time to play waiter at a café. The kids can take turns taking orders and delivering them to the table. You can even draw out paper menus with a list of a few simple options and let them choose their order. This is a great way to practice polite behavior for a restaurant visit and encourage your children to eat their lunch at the same time!

 Add Props for a Touch of Realism

Although imagination is the true power behind playtime, sometimes realistic props help kids get into the groove. A great “house” idea for all the dads out there is to pretend to fix things up in the garage. You can get accessories for the kids Power Wheels at places like The Mending Shed to encourage them to pretend to change their oil or work on their car in the garage. You can also pull out their plastic toy tool box and help them pretend to repair a broken cabinet or other things around the house.

 Get the Kids Involved in Building Playhouse Furniture

If your kids have a playhouse, get them involved in building furniture for it. In warm weather, you can put together small tables and other items using paper mache. You can find instructional videos online to help you plan projects. Kids love making things, and many kids like making a mess. This project has it all. Later, the kids can use their new furniture to play furniture store or traditional “house.”

 Play Greenhouse

Kids love to watch things grow. Put a new spin on playing “house” by helping the kids plant, water and grow their own plants. Playing greenhouse will help them learn gardening skills and give them a sense of accomplishment when the things they plant and nurture begin to sprout and grow. This game will not only teach your kids the responsibility of caring for something, but it may foster their curiosity about the environment and green living. For older kids you can also teach them about the way plants grow using science.

Childhood is a great time to encourage creativity and nurture imagination. Use these tips and come up with other ideas of your own to help enrich your child’s playtime. Let your child come up with ideas of their own as well! The best way to foster your children’s creative skills is by allowing them the freedom for unstructured play. You and your kids are only limited by your imagination.