I Suck at “Let’s Pretend!”

I’m left-brained to a fault.  When my 3 year old recruits me to play I respond, “Sure!  Would you like to read or work on your letters?”  Womp wommmmmmp.  Total Buzzkill-Mom.  What does he really want to do?  Play pretend, of course!

My husband is the master of imaginative play, coming up with all types of detailed scenarios that my son becomes enthralled in.  I admit that I’ve become jealous at times, wanting to be the parent that is fun to play with.  I decided I could sit back and accept that I suck at “Let’s Pretend” OR I could come up with some ideas that would take Buzzkill-Mom to Fun-ville Mom in no time flat.  Here are a few ideas that I’m pretty proud of and were a big hit with my little guy.

Toddler carwash
Toddler carwash!
  • Auto-garage/collision-repair: First you get to wreck cars, lots of them.  Then you build a garage with a box or some sort of covered area.  You have workers at the front who identify the problem and workers inside who fix the vehicles.  My boy loves coming up with random problems to fix and then making the sound effects during repair!
  • Safari: Gather up some figurines, throw them in a toy car, and it’s safari time!  What animals do you see hiding?  What sounds do they make?  Extra fun-points if you have the rhino charge and knock over the safari vehicle!
  • Handyman: This is a great drink-your-coffee-and-watch-GMA game.  My little dude loves to fix things.  He grabs his tools and says, “Mom, what can I work on?”  Then all I have to do is yell out random problems: “The toilet is leaking, can you see what’s wrong with it please?”  The best part?  I don’t even have to be creative, I simply use my list of complaints I’ve been voicing to my husband for months!
  • Action figure Bible stories: Oh no, he’s waiting for an interesting plot… I’ve got nothing… WAIT!  Shipwreck!  Lion’s den! Fight with a giant!  Flood!  Beheading!  (Okay, too much..)  If you can’t find a good scenario, plagiarize!  That’s what I say!  The Bible is full of crazy and bizarre people and struggles so use those when you need inspiration.
  • Carwash: This one is great for indoor or outdoor play.  Indoors?  Hotwheels, washrag or scrub brush, bathroom sink, and lots of towels.  Outdoors?  Ride-on toys and a hose with a sprayer.  Let ‘em go to town!

I hope this gives you imagination-impaired moms like myself some fresh ideas!

 What other ideas have you come up with for “Let’s Pretend”?

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Anna Rhodes fam pic (600 x 450)Anna is an Oklahoma transplant originally from Washington state.  While here for college she fell in love with OKC as well as her husband Mike.  They have been married for 6 years and have 2 hilarious children- Bauer (3) and Davee (1).  Anna enjoys hairstyling, working out, indoor soccer, Netflix marathons, and eating terrible things while her kids are asleep.  Anna adores several parts of the metro but especially The Village, where she calls home, and the Mid-town area.

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