Imagining and creating: preschoolers

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What to expect

Your preschooler will probably:

• enjoy a rich fantasy life during his third year
• show sympathy for others and begin to share at age four
• enjoy dramatic play with puppets and dress-ups
• enjoy boisterous play, particularly around ages three and four
• tell you elaborate stories about things that never happened, or have an imaginary friend; preschoolers have very active imaginations – it’s common and in no way indicates that they have a problem
• start to grow out of his fear of monsters, the dark and dogs as he approaches birthday number six
• be able to imitate and describe the art of famous artists if exposed to it, between the ages of five and six
• be able to perform structured dance once taught
• incorporate music into whatever he’s doing – for example, singing and drawing at the same time, or making up songs
• be able to create artwork that is becoming increasingly realistic from age four
• use art to reflect feelings from age four
• begin to understand that art can tell a story from age five.

By four, your child is likely to delve less into the imaginary world and want to know more about the real world. He will enjoy pretend play, dressing up as an adult, being mummy or daddy, a doctor or an explorer, and trying out roles to help make sense of the real world.

At five, your child enjoys playing with other children and joining in games with clear rules. This includes creating elaborate pretend games with other children.

Any chance to draw, paint, paste, sing or dance will probably be met with great enthusiasm. Three-year-olds aren't likely to have the coordination or hand control to manage much more than a scribble or splashes of paint on butcher’s paper, but they love the process of creating.

A four-year-old wields a pencil more confidently and can draw a figure with a body, head, arms and legs. These creative possibilities may increase with the start of kindergarten or day care.

Between five and six years, your child's coordination and ability to use his hands develops fully, making it easier to express thoughts and ideas and to draw complex shapes such as diamonds, triangles and stars. Around this time, your child might start to use art to help tell stories and to show events and emotions.

Ideas to encourage imaginative and creative play

Your child's imagination and creativity are blossoming at this age, and there are many ideas to enhance this through play. You can try:

• telling stories and reading books
• sharing silly rhymes and riddles
• playing dress-ups – a box of old clothes filled with cast-off shoes, old sports jumpers, boots, handbags and other odds and ends is great for boys and girls alike to rummage through at any time
• playing with musical instruments or listening to music
• messy play with sand, clay, playdough, paints, water or mud
• having new experiences, such as a trip to the bush, a zoo or a museum, or a walk along the beach in winter
• keeping small food boxes, paste and scissors, margarine containers and plastic bottles for construction activities
• making musical instruments from everyday objects such as empty milk cartons filled with uncooked rice
• turning a cardboard box into a playhouse, boat or car, or turning a small table on its side and draping it with a blanket to make a house, pirate's cave or local shop.
• providing dress-ups that your child can use to act out scenarios and express emotions – an eye patch will turn your child into a pirate; a newspaper hat will make him an admiral; an old feather stuck in a hat will turn him into a buccaneer; a towel will make a caped crusader
• playing outdoors in a safe space with freedom and time to explore
• drawing with crayons or pencils
• buying toys, such as blocks, that allow for open-ended play
• saving old magazines for him to cut and paste with
• making some homemade playdough together.

If you’re shopping for toys, look for things he can use to create games and toys, not just those that come complete from the shop with their own structured play expectations.

Your child’s creativity will best develop if he is given lots of room to do his own thing, as long as he is safe. Try to step back and let him make his own fun with you on hand to help and comment on his activities.

All children develop at their own pace. If you're concerned about any aspect of your child's development, it is a good idea to visit your health professional.

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