24/03/2026
Children don’t need the latest gadget or perfectly designed activity set. Give them a cardboard box, a wooden spoon, or a pile of cushions, and suddenly you have a rocket ship, a magic wand, or a mountain to climb. What matters most is not the object itself, but how a child uses it and how you join them in that play.
This post was inspired by my 2 year old daughter, whose current favourite 'toy' is a kitchen sponge from her Nonna's kitchen.
Just a plain old sponge… and somehow it’s become everything.
One minute, she's having a conversation on her 'phone.'
Next it’s part of a hide and seek game,“where is it?” … “there it is!”
Then it's a car and a boat.
Sometimes it’s a 'cake', sometimes a 'baby'. Sometimes, she just carries it around and talks about it all day.
And that’s the thing... the value isn’t in the object, it’s in what we do with it.
This is where symbolic play comes in. Symbolic play is when a child uses an object, action, or idea to represent something else like using a stick as a sword, pretending to pour tea from an empty cup, or turning the lounge room into a jungle. It typically emerges around 18–24 months and becomes more complex over time.
Symbolic play is incredibly powerful because it lays the foundation for social and emotional development. When children engage in pretend play, they are practicing:
- understanding different perspectives (“you be the baby, I’ll be the mum”)
- problem solving (“what if the bridge breaks?”)
- flexible thinking (transforming one object into many possibilities)
- language development (creating stories, roles, and dialogue)
- emotional regulation (working through real-life experiences in a safe way)
Research consistently shows that symbolic play is strongly linked to social competence. Studies have found that children who engage in more complex pretend play demonstrate stronger social skills, including cooperation, empathy, and peer interaction (e.g., Lillard et al., 2013). It also supports the development of theory of mind (the ability to understand that others have different thoughts and feelings) which is critical for successful relationships.
So next time your child hands you a “cup of tea” that doesn’t exist, or asks you to rescue them from lava made of carpet... Or using a kitchen sponge as a boat... Lean in. Follow their lead. Add to the story.
Because the real magic isn’t in the toy… it’s in the shared moment, the imagination, and the connection with you.
