• Quick Order
  • Wishlists
  • 0
    £0.00 ex VAT
Back
Menu
Close
Shop early years essentials
Shop everything you need for your early years setting with our handpicked collection of essentials.
Shop now
100s of new and exciting early years products
Refresh your early years settings with 100s of new and exciting early years products to choose from.
Shop now
Sign up to little learners for free
Subscribe to Little Learners, our free early years magazine packed full of ideas and inspiration to help your setting flourish.
Subscribe now
SEN range
Create nurturing and inspiring spaces with our SEN range of products, handpicked to support key development.
Shop now
Shop the YPO range and find what you need for less
Switch and save with our YPO range, with hundreds of products to choose from.
Shop now
Shop the cosy collection at YPO
We're excited to be working in partnership with Cosy, a renowned supplier of high quality and imaginative products. Shop the full collection!
Shop now
  • Cart with cleaning supplies Facilities Management

    Essential services to help keep your school running smoothly.

  • Students being served food Food and Catering

    Everything you need for your school meals and catering requirements.

  • person working at a desk Furniture

    Helping you create inspiring spaces.

  • Students using computers ICT

    Technology and communications to help you stay connected and current.

  • Person using a laptop Professional Services

    Supporting your people and professional services.

  • School bus driver Transport

    Help get your students from A to B.

  • Worker installing a light fixture Utilities

    Review your energy contracts to help save money.

It's now even easier to choose your exercise books
Find your exercise books in no time with our new exercise book selector. Pick your size, ruling, colour, and number of pages, then simply add to basket!
Shop now
Always in stock essentials
Explore our large range of always available products and get what you need, when you need it.
Shop now
SEN range
Create nurturing and inspiring spaces with our SEN range of products, handpicked to support key development.
Shop now
Making life easier for MATs across the country
Explore the benefits YPO can provide to Academies and Multi Academy Trusts across the country.
Find out more
Shop the YPO range and find what you need for less
Switch and save with our YPO range, with hundreds of products to choose from.
Shop now
Shop the cosy collection at YPO
We're excited to be working in partnership with Cosy, a renowned supplier of high quality and imaginative products. Shop the full collection!
Shop now
  • Cart with cleaning supplies Facilities Management

    Essential services to help keep your school running smoothly.

  • Students being served food Food and Catering

    Everything you need for your school meals and catering requirements.

  • person working at a desk Furniture

    Helping you create inspiring spaces.

  • Students using computers ICT

    Technology and communications to help you stay connected and current.

  • Person using a laptop Professional Services

    Supporting your people and professional services.

  • School bus driver Transport

    Help get your students from A to B.

  • Worker installing a light fixture Utilities

    Review your energy contracts to help save money.

It's now even easier to choose your exercise books
Find your exercise books in no time with our new exercise book selector. Pick your size, ruling, colour, and number of pages, then simply add to basket!
Shop now
Always in stock essentials
Explore our large range of always available products and get what you need, when you need it.
Shop now
Making life easier for MATs across the country
Explore the benefits YPO can provide to Academies and Multi Academy Trusts across the country.
Find out more
Shop the YPO range and find what you need for less
Switch and save with our YPO range, with hundreds of products to choose from.
Shop now
  • Construction worker Buildings and Construction

    Our expert team can help with building, construction, repairs and alterations. Browse our frameworks.

  • Meeting Corporate and Financial Services

    Help to increase efficiencies and provide better support to your people.

  • Energy frameworks YPO Energy

    Find ways to reduce your energy consumption with our energy team.

  • Cleaning equipment Facilities and Waste Management

    Providing safe and cost effective working environments.

  • Fleet of white vans Fleet

    Whether you're looking for fleet hire or purchase, speak to our specialist team.

  • food and catering worker cooking Food and Catering

    Ordering food and catering couldn't be simpler with our UK Food Deal.

  • food and catering worker cooking Furniture

    Create environments that are tailored to your unique needs.

  • fleet and highways worker Highways

    Providing specialist industry knowledge to help meet your needs.

  • Corporate meeting HR and People

    Our team are here to help with all of your recruitment and training.

  • Woman using technology Technology and Communication

    We can help you source cost-effective solutions with a range of frameworks.

Simplify your food waste management
YPO's food waste management frameworks have been created to support local authorities on their journey of food waste separation to reduce landfill emissions. Find out more here.
Find out more
Explore our energy updates
We know that securing energy contracts can be a complex and difficult process, but we are here to help you. Explore our Energy Hub to find help and guidance, latest updates and more.
Explore now
Our lowest price on Pritt glue sticks
Discover our lowest prices on Pritt products to stock up and save.
Shop now
Winter essentials products
Explore winter maintenance essentials and discover a range of products to combat the winter weather, from salt and grit to thermal workwear.
Shop now
YPO price freeze
Discover prices frozen on 50 school essentials, with prices guaranteed until Spring 2025. Get stocked up on your classroom essentials for less, and help support the NSPCC with every purchase!
Shop now
Price drops at YPO
Discover 1000s of products dropped and locked until 2025! Shop now!
Shop now
Bulk discounts, stock up and save
Stock up and save with our selection of bulk discount options on a range of popular products, from furniture to paper and more.
Shop now
New in products
Kit out your classroom and shop 100s of new products at great value prices.
Shop now
Clearance range
Once they're gone... they're gone! Shop clearance here and save on a range of essentials.
Shop now
YPO classpacks, buy more for less
Make your budget go further with our collection of classpacks, and save on a range of classroom essentials.
Shop now
Shop the YPO range and find what you need for less
Switch and save with our YPO range, with hundreds of products to choose from.
Shop now
Products
Close
Frameworks
Close
  • Construction worker Buildings and Construction

    Our expert team can help with building, construction, repairs and alterations. Browse our frameworks.

  • Meeting Corporate and Financial Services

    Help to increase efficiencies and provide better support to your people.

  • Energy frameworks YPO Energy

    Find ways to reduce your energy consumption with our energy team.

  • Cleaning equipment Facilities and Waste Management

    Providing safe and cost effective working environments.

  • Fleet of white vans Fleet

    Whether you're looking for fleet hire or purchase, speak to our specialist team.

  • food and catering worker cooking Food and Catering

    Ordering food and catering couldn't be simpler with our UK Food Deal.

  • food and catering worker cooking Furniture

    Create environments that are tailored to your unique needs.

  • fleet and highways worker Highways

    Providing specialist industry knowledge to help meet your needs.

  • Corporate meeting HR and People

    Our team are here to help with all of your recruitment and training.

  • Woman using technology Technology and Communication

    We can help you source cost-effective solutions with a range of frameworks.

If you’re looking after a toddler, I’m sure you’ve been asked to pretend to be a policeman or even a puppy in a role play scenario. But why do toddlers love role play so much and what benefits does it have?

Imaginative play is like a rehearsal, children practise scenarios and things they’ve heard and seen in day to day life. This helps them to understand and make sense of the world and makes them feel secure and more confident in social situations.

Language and communication 

If you listen to children, you’ll likely hear words and phrases you never knew were in their vocabulary. They’re mimicking the people around them; parents, family and teachers. Imaginative play helps them understand language and communication and how to apply them in different contexts or scenarios.

Imaginative role play also helps develop listening skills and introduces the idea of turn taking. These skills are important for preparing children for social situations in everyday life and for the school environment.

Emotional development

Navigating a life of emotion is hard work when you first start out but imaginative play helps you understand what they're feeling. You may notice repetition in the topics being acted out. By replaying situations, they’re creating a blueprint to emotions that will set them up with a framework for understanding that they can draw on in future. Their play might take strange tangents with characters being mean or getting hurt but it’s all a fantastic learning experience. 

When little ones are engaged in imaginative play with other children, it tests their skill development. Children have to agree on roles and topics in their games. This helps them develop negotiation skills and empathy. This challenging environment also helps children learn about other people’s thoughts and feelings. It may not be easy, with squabbles and disagreements being likely along the way, but it’s a huge step in child development.

How can you encourage imaginative play?

Let the child have space when they’re deep in imaginative play, only join in if you’re invited and make sure you let them take the lead! Provide them with a dressing up box, hats and headwear to open up a whole range of new characters and possibilities to explore! Make sure the clothes you put in the dressing up box are things the child can put on unaided, wide neck lines and oversized coats are a good choice. Blankets are a great addition to any imaginative play set, they can be used as a cape or a dress and of course for building a den! 

Add some props to the box to encourage play. Old phones and newspapers make great additions along with empty boxes, travel tickets and play money. Buy toys that encourage role play and allow them to explore a huge range of skills. 

Pretend play time is likely to be one of the child's favourite activities, allowing them to learn some key skills through play. Encouraging imaginative play is easy and very beneficial, making it invaluable to child development.

Imaginative play might seem like fun and games but in reality, it’s serious learning. When children are involved in imaginative play they’re actually practising social situations. Children re-enact things they’ve heard about or seen so they can develop a social understanding and practise their own feeling and emotions. 

Language development 

Giving voices to toys and taking lead on imaginative play all helps to develop language skills in children. 

Don’t be afraid to get involved with imaginative play - sure you might end up pretending to be a puppy but don’t try to take the reigns, give the child complete freedom and let them have time to think and communicate their ideas. Suggest scenarios to get their imaginative skills flowing! By letting them take the lead they’re working on their communication and confidence. 

Social skills 

Imaginative play means listening to other people and taking turns. It’s a great way to practise those important social skills. Make eye contact with the child while they’re explaining the scenario to you and be careful not to talk over them. Work together with them what’s the scenario, who’s playing what role, create scenarios.

For more blogs and articles like this one, subscribe to the Little Learners magazine for FREE!

 

Useful blogs:

The importance of risk-taking in early years

Preparing little learners for the BIG world

Engaging ice activities for early years

No Image Available
Author

Bigjigs Toys

No Image Available
Author

Jasmin Hayes

Bigjigs Toys