Pretend Play Activities for Kids: 5 Fun Animal Games to Engage Your Child in Creative Play by Jocelyn Greene

Animal games are a great gateway for dramatic play. If you are looking to fill all the indoor time with some imaginative games that have a little structure, look to the animal kingdom as a starting place! 

Here are some pretend play ideas: 

1. Take an elevator to different environments and jump out as the characters that would inhabit an ocean, desert, jungle, etc. This could also be done with kids jumping out of a closet. 
2. Kids can play school as different animals. Set up a "home" side of the room and a "school" side of the room. Kids choose an animal to be and move across the floor like that creature. When they get to school, a simple funny task – like singing the ABCs in a mouse voice or counting to 20 like a dinosaur – is the goal at school and then they can head "home" and change into another animal character!
   
3. Play "Taxi" where different animals enter the car with problems to solve and places to be (executive function skills at work)! 
4. Play "Silly Shop" with an animal shopkeeper hosting various pets coming through to purchase items that they need. 
5. Pet Vet (but, of course!) is a classic where an animal presents their ailment to the doc who helps to magically cure it. Remember to ask how their wound happened so they can develop their storytelling skills. Enlist helpers (siblings!) to be the caring nurse assistants who help with the imaginary treatment!

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